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Characteristics of thunder and electromagnetic pulses from volcanic lightning at Bogoslof volcano, Alaska

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Abstract

We combine global detections of volcanic lightning with acoustic and hydroacoustic data to investigate novel indications of plume electrification in ground-based, geophysical data streams during the 2016–2017 eruption of Bogoslof volcano, Alaska. Such signals offer additional ways to diagnose the occurrence of volcanic lightning and confirm whether eruptive activity is producing significant amounts of ash. We discuss three signatures of lightning activity: volcanic thunder, electromagnetic pulses arising from lightning-induced voltages in cabling, and hydroacoustic signals associated with volcanic lightning. Observations of these phenomena provide additional insights into volcanic lightning activity and reveal several periods of electrical activity that were not otherwise detected during the Bogoslof eruption.

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Acknowledgments

The authors wish to thank the World Wide Lightning Location Network (http://wwlln.net), a collaboration among over 50 universities and institutions, for providing lightning location data used in this paper. We acknowledge Vaisala, Inc. (http://www.vaisala.com) for providing lightning location and peak current data from the GLD360 network. Seismic and infrasound data used in this study are available at the IRIS-DMC. Information on the availability of lightning data is given in Van Eaton et al. (2020, this issue). Hydrophone data are available from the NOAA Pacific Marine Environment Lab. Any use of trade, firm, or product names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. U.S. Geological Survey, Alaska Volcano Observatory, Anchorage, AK, USA

    Matthew M. Haney & John J. Lyons

  2. U.S. Geological Survey, Cascades Volcano Observatory, Vancouver, WA, USA

    Alexa R. Van Eaton & Rebecca L. Kramer

  3. Alaska Volcano Observatory, Geophysical Institute, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK, USA

    David Fee & Alexandra M. Iezzi

  4. NOAA Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory, Newport, OR, USA

    Robert P. Dziak

  5. Department of Geosciences, Boise State University, Boise, ID, USA

    Jacob Anderson & Jeffrey B. Johnson

  6. Earth Networks Inc., Germantown, MD, USA

    Jeff L. Lapierre & Michael Stock

Authors
  1. Matthew M. Haney
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  2. Alexa R. Van Eaton
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  3. John J. Lyons
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  4. Rebecca L. Kramer
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  5. David Fee
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  6. Alexandra M. Iezzi
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  7. Robert P. Dziak
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  8. Jacob Anderson
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  9. Jeffrey B. Johnson
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  10. Jeff L. Lapierre
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  11. Michael Stock
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Matthew M. Haney.

Additional information

Editorial responsibility: K. Wallace; Special Issue Editor N. Fournier

This paper constitutes part of a topical collection: The 2016–17 shallow submarine eruption of Bogoslof volcano, Alaska

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Haney, M.M., Van Eaton, A.R., Lyons, J.J. et al. Characteristics of thunder and electromagnetic pulses from volcanic lightning at Bogoslof volcano, Alaska. Bull Volcanol 82, 15 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00445-019-1349-y

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