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Some volcanoes screech before erupting

New research shows it’s common for swarms of earthquakes to precede a volcano eruption, creating an harmonic tremor resembling the sound made by various musical instruments at frequencies lower than what humans can hear.

In a paper published in the Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research, University of Washington researchers describe their analysis of an eruption sequence at Alaska’s Redoubt Volcano in March 2009. They theorise the tremors result from the pressurisation of magma through a narrow pass deep within the earth.

The study provides a deeper understanding of how volcano pressurisation works and could help scientists with eruption models and projections.

Read more at University of Washington

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