A sea-floor spreading event captured by seismometers |
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| Authors: | Tolstoy M Cowen J P Baker E T Fornari D J Rubin K H Shank T M Waldhauser F Bohnenstiehl D R Forsyth D W Holmes R C Love B Perfit M R Weekly R T Soule S A Glazer B |
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| Institution: | Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory (LDEO) of Columbia University, Palisades, NY 10964, USA. tolstoy@ldeo.columbia.edu |
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| Abstract: | Two-thirds of Earth's surface is formed at mid-ocean ridges, yet sea-floor spreading events are poorly understood because they occur far beneath the ocean surface. At 9 degrees 50'N on the East Pacific Rise, ocean-bottom seismometers recently recorded the microearthquake character of a mid-ocean ridge eruption, including precursory activity. A gradual ramp-up in activity rates since seismic monitoring began at this site in October 2003 suggests that eruptions may be forecast in the fast-spreading environment. The pattern culminates in an intense but brief (approximately 6-hour) inferred diking event on 22 January 2006, followed by rapid tapering to markedly decreased levels of seismicity. |
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