First measurement of ice‐bedrock interface of alpine glaciers by cosmic muon radiography

Nishiyama, Ryuichi; Ariga, A.; Ariga, T.; Käser, Samuel; Lechmann, Alessandro; Mair, David; Scampoli, P.; Vladymyrov, Mykhailo; Ereditato, A.; Schlunegger, Fritz

doi:10.1002/2017gl073599

Cited by 48 publications

(49 citation statements)

References 57 publications

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“…Besides these applications, which have mainly been designed for archaeological and civil engineering purposes, scientists have begun to deploy particle detectors to investigate and map geological structures. In recent years, this has been done for various volcanoes in Japan (Nishiyama et al, 2014;Tanaka et al, 2005Tanaka et al, , 2014, including the Shinmoedake volcano (Kusagaya and Tanaka, 2015), the lava dome at Unzen (Tanaka, 2016) and most recently the Sakurajima volcano (Oláh et al, 2018). Further experiments have been conducted in the Caribbean, in France (Ambrosino et al, 2015;Jourde et al, 2013Jourde et al, , 2015Lesparre et al, 2012;Marteau et al, 2015) and in Italy on Etna (Lo Presti et al, 2018) and Stromboli (Tioukov et al, 2017).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The effect of rock composition on muon tomography measurements

et al. 2018

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Abstract. In recent years, the use of radiographic inspection with cosmic-ray muons has spread into multiple research and industrial fields. This technique is based on the high-penetration power of cosmogenic muons. Specifically, it allows the resolution of internal density structures of large-scale geological objects through precise measurements of the muon absorption rate. So far, in many previous works, this muon absorption rate has been considered to depend solely on the density of traversed material (under the assumption of a standard rock) but the variation in chemical composition has not been taken seriously into account. However, from our experience with muon tomography in Alpine environments, we find that this assumption causes a substantial bias in the muon flux calculation, particularly where the target consists of high {Z2∕A} rocks (like basalts and limestones) and where the material thickness exceeds 300 m. In this paper, we derive an energy loss equation for different minerals and we additionally derive a related equation for mineral assemblages that can be used for any rock type on which mineralogical data are available. Thus, for muon tomography experiments in which high {Z2∕A} rock thicknesses can be expected, it is advisable to plan an accompanying geological field campaign to determine a realistic rock model.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The effect of rock composition on muon tomography measurements

et al. 2018

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“…In order to minimize the model assumptions, the average bedrock density ρ rock is extracted in situ from angular regions not covered in ice, and its measurement is validated by comparing it with a set of rock samples collected from near the detectors along the railway tunnels and from the surface. Reference [63] provided the first application of the method by studying the Aletsch glacier, in the Central Swiss Alps, measuring the shape of the ice-bedrock interface up to a depth of 50 m below the ice surface. They found a parallel orientation of the bedrock with respect to the glacier's flow direction, which implies that the ice has passively slid on the bedrock without sculpting it.…”

Section: Geosciencesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Atmospheric muons as an imaging tool

2020

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Imaging methods based on the absorption or scattering of atmospheric muons, collectively named under the neologism "muography", exploit the abundant natural flux of muons produced from cosmic-ray interactions in the atmosphere. Recent years have seen a steep rise in the development of muography methods in a variety of innovative multidisciplinary approaches to study the interior of natural or man-made structures, establishing synergies between usually disconnected academic disciplines such as particle physics, geology, and archaeology. Muography also bears promise of immediate societal impact through geotechnical investigations, nuclear waste surveys, homeland security, and natural hazard monitoring. Our aim is to provide an introduction to this vibrant research area, starting from the physical principles at the basis of the methods and reviewing several recent developments in the application of muography methods to specific use cases, without any pretence of exhaustiveness. We then describe the main detector technologies and imaging methods, including their combination with conventional techniques from other disciplines, where appropriate. Finally, we discuss critically some outstanding issues that affect a broad variety of applications, and the current state of the art in addressing them. a

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“…In 1970, the Nobelist Louis Alvarez and his collaborators performed a radiographic measurement of the Chephren Pyramid in Egypt and they were able to exclude the existence of a hidden burial chamber [3]. Following these pioneering measurements, more recently muon absorption radiography was taken again into consideration, at first by Japanese groups [4] and later by Italian, French, Canadian, American, and other groups ( [5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13], to name a few) for application in the fields of volcanology, archaeology, and mining. The MURAVES project (MUon RAdiography of VESuvius) [14], born of the collaboration between INGV (National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology) and INFN (National Institute of Nuclear Physics), aims to study the interior of Mount Vesuvius near Naples using muon radiography.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Muon Radiography of Ancient Mines: The San Silvestro Archaeo-Mining Park (Campiglia Marittima, Tuscany)

et al. 2019

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Muon absorption radiography is an imaging technique based on the measurement of the absorption of cosmic ray muons. This technique has recently been used successfully to investigate the presence of unknown cavities in the Bourbon Gallery in Naples and in the Chephren Pyramid at Cairo. The MIMA detector (Muon Imaging for Mining and Archaeology) is a prototype muon tracker for muon radiography for application in the fields of archaelogy and mining. It is made of three pairs of X-Y planes each consisting of 21 scintillator bars with a silicon photomultiplier readout. The detector is compact, robust, easily transportable, and has a low power consumption: all of which makes the detector ideal for measurements in confined and isolated environments. With this detector, a measurement from inside the Temperino mine in the San Silvestro archaeo-mining park in Tuscany was performed. The park includes about 25 km of mining tunnels arranged on several levels that have been exploited from the Etruscan time. The measured muon absorption was compared to the simulated one, obtained from the information provided by 3D laser scanner measurements and cartographic maps of the mountain above the mine, in order to obtain information about the average density of the rock. This allowed one to confirm the presence of a partially accessible exploitation opening and provided some hints regarding the presence of a high-density body within the rock.

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First measurement of ice‐bedrock interface of alpine glaciers by cosmic muon radiography

Cited by 48 publications

References 57 publications

The effect of rock composition on muon tomography measurements

The effect of rock composition on muon tomography measurements

Atmospheric muons as an imaging tool

Muon Radiography of Ancient Mines: The San Silvestro Archaeo-Mining Park (Campiglia Marittima, Tuscany)

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