Biasi
Joseph
Biasi
Joseph
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ArticleThe magnetization of an underwater caldera: a time‐lapse magnetic anomaly study of axial seamount(American Geophysical Union, 2022-09-03) Fluegel, Bailey ; Tivey, Maurice ; Biasi, Joseph ; Chadwick, William W. ; Nooner, Scott L.Axial Seamount in the northeast Pacific erupted in 2015, 2011, and 1998. Although monitored by the Regional Cabled Array of the Ocean Observatory Initiative, few magnetic surveys have been conducted over the region. This study uses high‐resolution magnetic data over the seamount collected by autonomous underwater vehicle Sentry during three years (2015, 2017, and 2020). The goal is to investigate whether there are temporal changes in the near‐surface magnetic field observable over the time scale of one volcanic cycle. We compare magnetic maps from repeated tracklines from each year. We find maps of the yearly difference in magnetization show coherent patterns that are not random. The central region of the caldera has become more magnetic during recent years, suggesting cooling of the surficial lava flows since 2015. Sentry data are more sensitive to shallow crustal structure compared to sea surface data which show longer wavelength anomalies extending deeper into the crust.Plain Language SummaryAxial Seamount is an active underwater volcano located off the coast of Oregon that has recently erupted in 2015, 2011, and 1998. Though Axial is monitored by many seafloor instruments, the magnetism of the region and how it changes with time has not been studied. However, we believe studying the magnetics of Axial can provide powerful insights into the internal structure of the volcano. Specifically, volcanic rocks contain magnetic minerals called magnetite. Above a certain temperature, called the Curie temperature, these minerals become non‐magnetic. Thus, magnetism may be able to detect changes in the high temperature areas of the volcano between eruptions, such as the magma chamber or young lava flows. Here, we perform the first study analyzing three separate years of high‐resolution magnetic data collected using an autonomous underwater vehicle over Axial seamount. We create magnetic maps using repeated vehicle tracklines to highlight differences between each year and compare our findings with broader surveys of the region. Our results indicate the central region of Axial has become more magnetic during recent years, suggesting cooling of the lavas erupted in 2015 and their associated subsurface feeder zones.Key PointsRepeat magnetic surveys at active submarine volcanos image temporal change in thermal structure related to geologic and volcanic processesHigh resolution magnetic data can be used for low‐cost volcano monitoring in the marine environment over relevant timescales
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ArticleVolcano monitoring with magnetic measurements: a simulation of eruptions at axial seamount, Kilauea, Baroarbunga, and Mount Saint Helens(American Geophysical Union, 2022-09-16) Biasi, Joseph ; Tivey, Maurice A. ; Fluegel, BaileyMonitoring of active volcanic systems is a challenging task due in part to the trade-offs between collection of high-quality data from multiple techniques and the high costs of acquiring such data. Here we show that magnetic data can be used to monitor volcanoes by producing similar data to gravimetric techniques at significantly lower cost. The premise of this technique is that magma and wall rock above the Curie temperature are magnetically “transparent,” but not stationary within the crust. Subsurface movements of magma can affect the crustal magnetic field measured at the surface. We construct highly simplified magnetic models of four volcanic systems: Mount Saint Helens (1980), Axial Seamount (2015–2020), Kīlauea (2018), and Bárðarbunga (2014). In all cases, observed or inferred changes to the magmatic system would have been detectable by modern magnetometers. Magnetic monitoring could become common practice at many volcanoes, particularly in developing nations with high volcanic risk.
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ArticleEruption rates, tempo, and stratigraphy of Paleocene flood basalts on Baffin Island, Canada(American Geophysical Union, 2022-08-15) Biasi, Joseph ; Asimow, Paul D. ; Horton, Forrest ; Boyes, XeniaHigh-temperature melting in mantle plumes produces voluminous eruptions that are often temporally coincident with mass extinctions. Paleocene Baffin Island lavas—products of early Iceland mantle plume activity—are exceptionally well characterized geochemically but have poorly constrained stratigraphy, geochronology, and eruptive tempos. To provide better geologic context, we measured seven stratigraphic sections of the volcanic deposits and collected paleomagnetic data from 38 sites in the lavas and underlying Cretaceous sediments (Quqaluit Fm.). The average paleomagnetic pole from this study does not overlap with the expected pole for a stable North American locality at 60 Ma, yet the data have sufficient dispersion to average out secular variation. After ruling out other possibilities, we find that the picrites were probably erupted during a polarity transition, over less than 5 kyr. If so, the average eruption interval was ∼67 years per flow for the thickest sequence of exposed lavas. We also calculate that the flood basalts had a minimum total volume of ∼176 km3 (excluding submerged lavas in Baffin Bay). This implies a minimum eruption rate of ∼0.035 km3 yr−1, which is similar to rates found in West Greenland lavas but less than rates found in larger flood basalts. Despite this, the Baffin and West Greenland lavas temporally correlate with the “End C27n event” (a period of ∼2°C global warming) and may be its underlying cause.