New insights into banded tremor from the 2008–2009 Mount Etna eruption

Banded tremor at Mount Etna exhibits chaotic behavior, marked by sensitive dependence on initial conditions and long-term unpredictability. This study reveals that banded tremor, occurring in 25–30-minute episodes separated by similar intervals during the 2008–2009 eruption, differs from ordinary volcanic tremor in spectral content, wavefields, and source location. Nonlinear analyses suggest a model where alternating recharge-discharge phases, triggered by heat and fluid transfer from magma bodies, cause perturbations in shallow aquifers—such as fluid movement or bubble dynamics—leading to seismic radiation and acoustic signals when discharge couples with the atmosphere. Infrasound recordings further support this intermittent process, highlighting the complexity of tremor generation.

Cannata, A., Di Grazia, G., Montalto, P., Ferrari, F., Nunnari, G., Patanè, D., & Privitera, E. (2010). New insights into banded tremor from the 2008–2009 Mount Etna eruption. Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth, 115(B12). Portico. https://doi.org/10.1029/2009jb007120