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Volcanic eruptions, lightning, and a waterfall: Differentiating the menagerie of infrasound in the Ecuadorian jungle
Author(s) -
Johnson Jeffrey B.,
Lees Jonathan M.,
Yepes Hugo
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1029/2005gl025515
Subject(s) - infrasound , thunder , waterfall , geology , seismology , volcano , thunderstorm , meteorology , geography , acoustics , cartography , physics , oceanography
In northeastern Ecuador, near Reventador Volcano, the airwaves are filled with infrasound. Here we identify the locations and characterize three distinct sources of local infrasound, including two types of infrasonic sources, which are not commonly discussed in the literature. The first of these novel sources is an intense and continuous radiator with a fixed location corresponding to San Rafael Waterfall. The signal from the river exhibits a tremor‐like envelope that is well correlated across the 3‐element infrasound network. Beyond the river, we also observe and map spatially variable sources corresponding to thunder. These transient signals have impulsive onsets, but are not well correlated across the network and are attributable to spatially‐distributed source regions. Finally, we identify plentiful infrasound corresponding to Reventador's volcanic vent that is associated with unrest. This study demonstrates the utility of dispersed infrasound networks for distinguishing variable sources and improving interpretation of mechanisms of infrasound radiators.