Science Diary: Volcano - Climb: The Pulse of the Planet daily radio program offers free legal online mp3 downloads, exploring the world of sound in nature, culture and science, with audio adventures, world music, extraordinary sound portraits, science diaries, and nature ring-tones; an amazing sonic experience.



Airdate: Mar 17, 2008
Scientist: Milton Garces, Ph.D.

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 EARTH SCIENCE ,Volcanoes ,Acoustics ,sound ,data gathering


Science Diary: Volcano - Climb

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Volcanoes may emit low frequency sounds prior to erupting. Scientists are using microphones to monitor these infrasounds.
Transcript:

music; ambience: volcano sounds

Volcanoes could be giving us clues as to when theyll erupt, if we knew how to listen to them. Welcome to Pulse of the Planets Science Diaries, a glimpse of the world of science from the inside. Milton Garces is Director of the Infrasound Laboratory at the University of Hawaii. Hes traveled to Italy to listen in to the sounds of the Stromboli Volcano. Milton is studying the infrasounds the volcano makes, the low-frequency rumbles that are inaudible to the human ear. Today, Milton is ascending to the top of the volcanos ashy cone to replace a broken microphone.

Every step kicks fine ash we have a full distribution of particles from sub millimeter size to big lava flows and bombs. What we call bombs are just, essentially, very large rock that got spit out of the volcanic at very high speeds, sometimes falling a few hundred meters below the crater. The ground around us is littered with bombs. We are above 500 meters at Stromboli Volcano. About 200 meters to go before where we start seeing the crater. All the vegetation is stopping. From now on, its all ash and rocks, bombs, assorted debris as we ascend, the ash fill turns to a boulder strewn, steep incline.

Milton Garces hopes that infrasounds can be used to predict large volcanic eruptions, giving time for the safe evacuation of people living nearby. Well hear more about his research in future programs. Pulse of the Planets Science Diaries are made possible by the National Science Foundation. Im Jim Metzner.







 
Science Diary: Volcano - Climb