[ PHOTO ( above ): Vanuatu Island Ambae Volcano Vent At It’s Manaro Ngoro Summit Lake Voui New Island Mt. Manaro (aka) Aoba Volcano ‘In Just Days’ During November 2006 ( click to enlarge ) ]
Secret HFSE Properties – Part 3
GeoAstrophysics
by, Concept Activity Research Vault ( CARV )
December 26, 2010 23:08:42 ( PST )
VANUATU ISLAND, Port Vila — December 26, 2010 — It may be difficult for some to realize this report is ‘not science fiction’, but within the Pacific Ocean volcanic arc “Ring of Fire,” in just a few days of November 26, 2005 Vanuatu Island residents did not even realize their island Lake Voui was where its ’new inner island mountain’ Mt. Manaro (aka) Aoba volcano was ‘created in merely a matter of a few days’ after their 420-year old volcano highly volatile magma was mixed into their lakebed hydrochloride sulfuric acid geochemicals, only just learned last year ( 2009 ), as the actual trigger mechanism setting off the incredibly explosive eruption.
The Ambae volcano vent inside the Lake Voui new island Mt. Manaro ( also known as ) Aoba volcano is the largest basaltic shield volcano in the New Hebrides arc. Aoba volcano is one of the largest active volcano caldera crater lakes in the world today.
Warning Signs –
On February 16, 2005 a succession of earthquakes were felt by the Vanuatu islanders during the evening. Several days later, a seismometer was installed on the north coast of Vanuatu Island where no ‘significant seismic activity’ was recorded there prior to the November 26, 2006 volcano eruption.
On October 5, 2005 NASA Earth Observing System ( EOS ) AM-1 satellite ( TERRA ) carried onboard a Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectro-Radiometer ( MODIS ) that first ( 1st ) detected volcano Ambae volcano summit Lake Voui area registering a thermal imaging anomaly ( highly volatile magma emission degassing ), which was “8-days” ‘before’ the Ambae volcano erupted in the middle of Lake Voui on November 26, 2005 when Vanuatu Island residents were rocked with a Volcano Alert Level 2 ( representating the level of volcanic eruption activity ).
Shockingly, on November 21, 2005 – “2-days” after the November 19, 2005 thermal imaging anomaly ( highly volatile magma emission degassing ) – and yet still “6-days” ‘before’ the eruption on November 26, 2005 – the MODIS SST ( MOD28L2 Infra-Red imaging sensor product ) later detected – in Lake Voui on Vanuatu Island – a ‘definite visual IR display’ of ‘strong hydrothermal activity’ reported only as an “anomaly” that was clearly seeing Ambae volcano ( GEO-REF coordinates: 167°50′E, 15°23′S ) ‘highly volatile magma degassing emissions’ entering the high chloride sulfuric acid contents of Lake Voui’ where mixing those two ( 2 ) ingredients would most certainly cause a phreatic explosion.
When Did The Public Know? –
It wasn’t until ‘after’ the November 26, 2005 phreatic ( violent ) explosion of the Ambae volcano vent inside Lake Voui that the Vanuatu Island government then began to take precautions, by:
– Evacuating nearly 4,000 people away from the immediate area; – Dispatching its own local volcanologists; – Asked the New Zealand government to contribute aid assistance; – Asked donor agencies for assistance contributions; and, – Asked other aid contributors to additional assist.
U.S. National Aeronautic And Space Administration ( NASA ) Notified The New Zealand Government When? –
The New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade – via NZAID – contracted INSTITUTE OF GEOLOGICAL & NUCLEAR SCIENCES LTD. ( IGNS ) to mount a response dispatch of two [ 2 ] volcanologists [ Brad Scott ( E-MAIL: b.scott@gns.cri.nz ) and Steve Sherburn ( seismologist ) ] assigned objectives that also included:
– Assisting Vanuatu Island geological and government emergency response organization interpretations of its Ambae volcano eruption;
– Providing detailed assessment of Vanuatu Island Ambae volcano eruption current activity levels; and,
– Offer some prognosis of future Ambae volcano activity.
INSTITUTE OF GEOLOGICAL & NUCLEAR SCIENCES LTD. ( IGNS ) was asked to, establish:
– Temporary seismic monitoring system to collect activity data for assessments; and,
– Provide a foreseeable means how Vanuatu Island scientists could continue monitoring future activity.
Steve Sherburn and Brad Scott departed, for Vanuatu Island, with provided:
– Seismic recording systems ( 3 ); plus,
– Additional volcano monitoring tools.
Prior Incident Response Experience On Vanuatu Island –
Due to such a short lead-time notice [ <?> ], remoteness of the Ambae volcano location on Vanautu Island, and lack of volcanological ( historical ) data, Vanuatu Island was a challenging assignment – offset somewhat by Steve Sherburn ( seismologist ) and Brad Scott ( volcanologist ) past eruption monitoring and assessment experience on Vanuatu Island, Tonga and Papua New Guinea.
The INSTITUTE OF GEOLOGICAL & NUCLEAR SCIENCES LTD. ( IGNS ) – under New Zealand government contract – dispatched Brad Scott and Steve Sherburn whom upon arrival on Vanuatu Island found that one of Ambae volcano summit lakes named Lake Voui ( a 2 square kilometer and 150 meter deep chloride sulfuric acid lake ) was undergoing small-scale eruptions that in ‘just a few days’ grew into a ‘new volcano cone’ that became known as Mt. Manaro (aka) Aoba volcano mountain more than 656-feet wide and 229-feet tall.
On Vanuatu Island, Steve Sherburn and Brad Scott spent 6-days:
– Establishing seismic equipment; – Collecting and analyzing data; – Observing Ambae volcano eruptions; and, – Providing Ambae volcanic activity level status reports for the government of Vanuatu Island.
Support and data additional information were supplied, by:
– French [ Polynesia – Tahiti, Wallis and Futuna (aka) Fakauvea (aka) Fakafutuna Islands, Vanautu Island, Melanasia, Kanak ( formerly known as ) Canaque, Indonesia and Viet Nam populace ] scientists from Nouméa, New Caledonia; and,
– Staffers and students from Massey University, Manawatu campus in the Manawatu-Wanganui region City of Palmerston, North Island, New Zealand.
Then-secret use of Differential Optical Absorption Spectroscopy ( DOAS ) retrieval methods found sulphur dioxide column abundances from magma SO2 and H2S gas flux emission analysis, seismic data analysis, visual observations of Inter-établissements de Recherche pour le Développement ( IRD ) Nouméa, New Caledonia ( Nouvelle-Calédonie ) team of French scientists Ambae volcano historical activity review was followed by Ambae volcano activity level assessments.
Later, it was all declared a ‘small-scale eruption’ of ‘no major threat’ to the Vanuatu Island population, ‘after information began being passed on in bulletins’ ( with Bislma language translations ) to, the:
– Disaster Co-ordination Group ( Port Vila, Vanuatu Island ); – Government of Vanuatu Island; and, – Community of Vanuatu Island.
Vanuatu Island “Volcano Alert Level 2,” however ‘remained’ – until activity declined – as bulletins indicated.
Again on Vanuatu Island, GEOLOGICAL & NUCLEAR SCIENCES LTD. ( GNS ) marked as ‘important’ values to permanently monitoring ( over a period of time ) each active volcano for which activity has unique characteristics observed for correlating data on any changes in volcano geophysical measurements and behaviors.
As of November 25, 2006 the Ambae volcano Mt. Manaro island vent crater wall collapsed on one side opening-up its cauldron to a chloride sulfuric acid bath from Lake Voui halting its gasious plume cloud into the atmosphere.
Volcano Magma Knowledge Not Being Shared Why? –
In 2009, it was finally learned amongst public professionals that as the Lake Voui lake-bed received approaching degassed but ‘volatile-rich magma’ ( from the Ambae volcano ) that was the trigger mechanism to begin the surtseyan eruption of November 2005 on Vanuatu Island.
Plasma-Optical Emission Spectroscopy ( ICP-OES ) Technicon Auto-Analyzer II Analysis –
Even today magmatic–hydrothermal system eruption-related gas fluxes into the atmosphere and geochemistry associated therewith is sorely lacking professional knowledge throughout the world.
[ PHOTO ( above ): Bathymetric map of Aoba Volcano on Vanuatu Island with adjacent islands ( click to enlarge ) ]
On December 25, 2010 shortly after midnight and approximately 140-miles south of Vanuatu Island – although nearer to the Office de la Recherche Scientifique et Technique Outre-Mer ( ORSTOM ) seismic stations on Espiritu Santo Island and Efate Island – and 15-miles down at the bottom of the ultra deep sea where the epicenter was believed located.
Rainforest covered Vanuatu Island is positioned in front of the d’Entrecasteaux collision zone of geographic plates, beneath the ulta deep sea, between the North Aoba Basin and South Aoba Basin and along a fracture ( Geographic Reference coordinate: N50E ) transverse to the volcanic arc Ring of Fire.
The December 25, 2010 earthquake registered a 7.8 Richter scale, however later the U.S. Geological Survey ( USGS ) ’officially downgraded’ that same earthquake to a 7.3 Richter scale measurement reported to the public by the Associated Press ( AP ).
Submitted for review and commentary by,
Concept Activity Research Vault ( CARV ), Host
E-MAIL: ConceptActivityResearchVault@Gmail.Com
WWW: http://ConceptActivityResearchVault.WordPress.Com
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References
http://www.volcano.si.edu/reports/bulletin/pdf/3011bgvn.pdf http://www.ulb.ac.be/sciences/cvl/aoba/Modis_voui.html http://www.ulb.ac.be/sciences/cvl/aoba/Ambae1.html http://www.geo.mtu.edu/volcanoes/southeast_asia/vanuatu/aoba/gvn/aoba.v20n02.html http://www.wesleyan.edu/planetary/bani2009.pdf http://www.ird.nc/actualites/volcanology.htm http://en.ird.fr/the-ird-in-the-world/pacific-ocean http://www.geonet.org.nz/docs/news/geonet-news-issue-6-jul-06.pdf
Sources
Université Libre de Bruxelles ( Brussels, Belgium );
Department of Geology, Mines and Water Resources ( Port Vila, Vanuatu Island );
Inter-établissements de Recherche pour le Développement ( Nouméa, New Caledonia );
Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research;
INSTITUTE OF GEOLOGICAL & NUCLEAR SCIENCES LTD. ( New Zealand );
GEONET ( New Zealand );
Smithsonian Institution ( USA );
NASA ( USA );
Unwanted Publicity Information Group;
Kentron Intellect Research; and,
Others.
Notes
In 2001, the INSTITUTE OF GEOLOGICAL & NUCLEAR SCIENCES LTD. (aka) IGNS (aka) GNS (aka) GNS SCIENCE – with core funding from the Earthquake Commission – began a 10-year project to provide real-time monitoring and data collection to be operated by GEONET ( a non-profit organization ), for:
– Rapid response to earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and landslides; and,
– Research into earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and landslides.
GEONET involves the INSTITUTE OF GEOLOGICAL & NUCLEAR SCIENCES LTD. ( IGNS ) building and operating a modern ‘geological hazards monitoring system’ for New Zealand.
GEONET exchanges information with various international institutions.
New Zealand focuses tsunami efforts with GEONET.
Pacific Ocean nations saw NZAID [ New Zealand government agency ] response with GEONET demonstrations in the Vanuatu Island Ambae volcano eruption.
Kentron Intellect Research Vault 