Analysis of Submarine Landslides at West Mata Volcano, NE Lau Basin, Using Hydroacoustic Data

Abstract:

Hundreds of submarine landslides were detected by a network of moored hydrophones near the erupting West Mata submarine volcano during a five month deployment in 2010-2011. The landslides are identifiable by their spectral characteristics, including a low frequency onset and extended broadband coda. All hydroacoustic signals at West Mata exhibit spectral banding due to interference of direct and surface-reflected waves (the Lloyd’s Mirror effect), but in landslide signals the bands change frequency over the duration of the signal. This shows that the source is propagating, and the timing between direct and reflected arrivals is changing. We use the change in spectral content to estimate source and terminus depths and average propagation velocity. Landslides were only weakly recorded on a hydrophone to the south of West Mata suggesting that the events took place on the volcano’s north flank, a region known from bathymetric mapping to have experienced significant mass wasting. We propose that the few landslides that did not exhibit spectral banding failed over a large source area and depth range and represent the largest West Mata slides. West Mata landslides occurred frequently during the eruption, suggesting that they may be triggered by loading of fragmental material on the volcano’s flanks. While the slides occurred throughout the duration of the deployment, events tend to cluster in time, possibly indicating sequential or retrogressive failures.