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GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS, VOL. 33, L06308, doi:10.1029/2005GL025515, 2006

Volcanic eruptions, lightning, and a waterfall: Differentiating the menagerie of infrasound in the Ecuadorian jungle

Jeffrey B. Johnson

Department of Earth Sciences, University of New Hampshire, Durham, New Hampshire, USA


Jonathan M. Lees

Earth Sciences Department, University of North Carolina, Durham, North Carolina, USA


Hugo Yepes

Instituto Geofisico, Escuela Politecnica Nacional, Quito, Ecuador


Abstract

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.

Received 16 December 2005; accepted 13 February 2006; published 23 March 2006.

Index Terms: 0394 Atmospheric Composition and Structure: Instruments and techniques; 1856 Hydrology: River channels (0483, 0744); 3324 Atmospheric Processes: Lightning; 8419 Volcanology: Volcano monitoring (7280).

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Citation: Johnson, J. B., J. M. Lees, and H. Yepes (2006), Volcanic eruptions, lightning, and a waterfall: Differentiating the menagerie of infrasound in the Ecuadorian jungle, Geophys. Res. Lett., 33, L06308, doi:10.1029/2005GL025515.