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SUMMARY The eruption of the submarine Hunga Tonga-Hunga Haʻapai (Hunga Tonga) volcano on 15 January 2022, was one of the largest volcanic explosions recorded by modern geophysical instrumentation. The eruption was notable for the broad range of atmospheric wave phenomena it generated and for their unusual coupling with the oceans and solid Earth. The event was recorded worldwide across the Global Seismographic Network (GSN) by seismometers, microbarographs and infrasound sensors. The broad-band instrumentation in the GSN allows us to make high fidelity observations of spheroidal solid Earth normal modes from this event at frequencies near 3.7 and 4.4 mHz. Similar normal mode excitations were reported following the 1991 Pinatubo (Volcanic Explosivity Index of 6) eruption and were predicted, by theory, to arise from the excitation of mesosphere-scale acoustic modes of the atmosphere coupling with the solid Earth. Here, we compare observations for the Hunga Tonga and Pinatubo eruptions and find that both strongly excited the solid Earth normal mode 0S29 (3.72 mHz). However, the mean modal amplitude was roughly 11 times larger for the 2022 Hunga Tonga eruption. Estimates of attenuation (Q) for 0S29 across the GSN from temporal modal decay give Q = 332 ± 101, which is higher than estimates of Q for this mode using earthquake data (Q = 186.9 ± 5). Two microbarographs located at regional distances (

Author(s): Ortiz, H. D.; Matoza, R. S.; Johnson, J. B.; Hernandez, S.; Anzieta, J. C.; Ruiz, M. C.

As part of the Acoustic Surveillance for Hazardous Eruptions project, two infrasound arrays were installed in northern and central Ecuador. The RIOE and LITE arrays were operational between 2006 and 2013, recording thousands of infrasound signals originating from eruptions of Tungurahua, El Reventador, and Sangay. We use Progressive Multi-Channel Correlation array processing together with hierarchical clustering to identify and associate impulsive infrasound signals with each volcano. Infrasound detections correspond to quasi-continuous activity of Sangay between mid 2006 and mid 2012, at least thirteen periods of activity of Tungurahua between 2006 and mid 2012, and strong signals from El Reventador in early 2008. We validate our detections using satellite observations from the MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) volcano detection algorithm (MODVOLC) and independent eruption catalogs. For Sangay, we find a good agreement between our infrasound detections and MODVOLC triggers, whereas for El Reventador the agreement is fair. We attribute the fair correspondence at El Reventador to the low-temporal resolution of MODIS data and frequent cloud cover in the region that reduce satellite observational capability. Finally, our study highlights the benefits of infrasound arrays for monitoring volcanoes in Ecuador at regional distances, while further investigating the processes that limit volcanic infrasound detection.

We use infrasound waves generated during eruptions of Volcan Tungurahua (Ecuador) to study both, changing atmospheric conditions and volcanic source characteristics. Analyzed infrasound data were recorded for a 32-month period by a five-station network located within 6.5 km from the vent. We use cross-network correlation to quantify the recurrent eruptive behavior of Tungurahua and results are corroborated by reports from the Ecuadorian monitoring agency. Cross-network lag times vary over short time periods (minutes to days) when vent location is stable and attribute these variations to changes in atmospheric structure. Assuming a fixed source location, we invert for average air temperatures and winds in Tungurahua's vicinity (

Cotopaxi Volcano showed an increased activity since April 2015 and evolved into its eventual mild eruption in August 2015. In this work we use records from a broadband seismic station located at less than 4 km from the vent that encompass data from April to December of 2015, to detect and study low-frequency seismic events. We applied unsupervised learning schemes to group and identify possible premonitory low-frequency seismic families. To find these families we applied a two-stage process in which the events were first separated by their frequency content by applying the k-means algorithm to the spectral density vector of the signals and then were further separated by their waveform by applying Correntropy and Dynamic Time Warping. As a result, we found a particular family related to the volcano’s state of activity by exploring its time distribution and estimating its events’ locations.

Explosive volcanic eruptions are commonly characterized based on a thorough analysis of the generated deposits. Amongst other characteristics in physical volcanology, density and porosity of juvenile clasts are some of the most frequently used to constrain eruptive dynamics. In this study, we evaluate the sensitivity of density and porosity data to statistical methods and introduce a weighting parameter to correct issues raised by the use of frequency analysis. Results of textural investigation can be biased by clast selection. Using statistical tools as presented here, the meaningfulness of a conclusion can be checked for any data set easily. This is necessary to define whether or not a sample has met the requirements for statistical relevance, i.e. whether a data set is large enough to allow for reproducible results. Graphical statistics are used to describe density and porosity distributions, similar to those used for grain-size analysis. This approach helps with the interpretation of volcanic deposits. To illustrate this methodology, we chose two large data sets: (1) directed blast deposits of the 3640–3510 BC eruption of Chachimbiro volcano (Ecuador) and (2) block-and-ash-flow deposits of the 1990–1995 eruption of Unzen volcano (Japan). We propose the incorporation of this analysis into future investigations to check the objectivity of results achieved by different working groups and guarantee the meaningfulness of the interpretation.

article i nfo The amplitude source location (ASL) method, which uses high-frequency amplitudes under the assumption of isotropic S-wave radiation, has been shown to be useful for locating the sources of various types of volcano-seismic signals. We tested the ASL method by using synthetic seismograms and examined the source amplitudes determined by this method for various types of volcano-seismic signals observed at different volcanoes. Our synthetic tests indicated that, although ASL results are not strongly influenced by velocity structure and noise, they do depend on site amplification factors at individual stations. We first applied the ASL method to volcano-tectonic (VT) earthquakes at Taal volcano, Philippines. Our ASL results for the largest VT earthquake showed that a frequency range of 7-12 Hz and a Q value of 50 were appropriate for the source location determination. Using these values, we systematically estimated source locations and amplitudes of VT earthquakes at Taal. We next applied the ASL method to long-period events at Cotopaxi volcano and to explosions at Tungurahua volcano in Ecuador. We proposed a practical approach to minimize the effects of site amplifications among different volcano seismic networks, and compared the source amplitudes of these various volcano-seismic events with their seismic magnitudes. We found a proportional relation between seismic magnitude and the logarithm of the source amplitude. The ASL method can be used to de- termine source locations of small events for which onset measurements are difficult, and thus can estimate the sizes of events over a wider range of sizes compared with conventional hypocenter determination ap- proaches. Previously, there has been no parameter widely used to quantify the sources of volcano-seismic signals. This study showed that the source amplitude determined by the ASL method may be a useful quan- titative measure of volcano-seismic event size.

Saccharomyces cerevisiae transformed with a multicopy plasmid carrying the yeast structural gene HEM2, which codes for delta-aminolevulinate dehydratase, was enriched 20-fold in the enzyme. Beginning with cell-free extracts of transformed cells, the dehydratase was purified 193-fold to near-homogeneity. This represents a 3900-fold purification relative to the enzyme activity in normal, untransformed yeast cells. The specific activity of the purified enzyme was 16.2 mumol h-1 per mg protein at pH 9.4 and 37.5 degrees C. In most respects the yeast enzyme resembles mammalian enzymes. It is a homo-octamer with an apparent Mr of 275,000, as determined by centrifugation in glycerol density gradients, and under denaturing conditions behaved as a single subunit of Mr congruent to 37,000. The enzyme requires reduced thiol compounds to maintain full activity, and maximum activity was obtained in the presence of 1.0 mM-Zn2+. It is sensitive to inhibition by the heavy metal ions Pb2+ and Cu2+. The enzyme exhibits Michaelis-Menten kinetics and has an apparent Km of 0.359 mM. Like dehydratases from animal tissues, the yeast enzyme is rather thermostable. During the purification process an enhancement in total delta-aminolevulinate dehydratase activity suggested the possibility that removal of an inhibitor of the enzyme could be occurring.

Cryptic trehalase from Saccharomyces cerevisiae was purified about 3000-fold. The recovery of 970% of the original “activity” indicated the removal of an inhibitor of the enzyme. Active trehalase, obtained through phosphorylation of cryptic trehalase by cAMP-dependent protein kinase, was isolated by chromatography on DEAE-cellulose. A major phosphorylated protein, with an apparent Mr of 86,000, was detected after SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. This protein band correlated exactly with the elution profile of trehalase activity and 32Pi incorporation into the enzyme on DEAE-cellulose chromatography. Partially purified active trehalase showed absolute specificity towards trehalose with an apparent Km of 4.79 × 10−3 m . Both forms of the enzyme showed an apparent molecular weight of 160,000, by gel filtration. Centrifugation on a glycerol density gradient indicated multiple forms of trehalase-c, with Mr of 320,000, 160,000, and 80,000. After activation of each of these forms by protein kinase, a single form of trehalase-a was observed, with a Mr of 160,000. Trehalase-c appears to be a totally inactive form of the enzyme. The only mechanism of activation seems to be phosphorylation by cAMP-dependent protein kinase. When the protein kinase concentration was varied, at a fixed trehalase-c concentration, a sigmoidal activation plot was obtained. This result suggests the occurrence of multiple forms of cryptic trehalase.

Independently discovered mutations which alter cyclic-AMP dependent protein kinase activity in Saccharomyces cerevisiae are analysed in relation to trehalose and glycogen storage. The defective trehalose and glycogen accumulation in strains which bear the glc1 mutation results from abnormal activation of trehalase by a protein kinase which has partially lost its cAMP dependence. Cells bearing the bcy1 mutation produce an altered protein kinase due to extremely low levels of the cAMP-binding protein. This altered kinase activates trehalase, resulting in low trehalose contents in these cells. In cell-free extracts of control strains (S288C and 7Q-2D), which produce normal levels of glycogen and trehalose, the enzyme trehalase is mainly found in an inactive, cryptic form. Each of the haploid strains containing one of the mutant genes (glc1, glc4-1 and bcy1) is defective in both trehalose and glycogen accumulation and exhibits low activation ratios of trehalase by protein kinase. Genetic complementation experiments clearly establish that the bcy1 mutation involves a different gene to that altered by the glc1 mutation, since the resulting diploid behaved normally. Strain AM9-10D, previously classified as wild-type (normal for bcy1), is defective in the accumulation of trehalose and glycogen and exhibits almost all trehalose in the active form.

Mutation at the GLC1 locus in Saccharomyces cerevisiae resulted in simultaneous deficiencies in glycogen and trehalose accumulation. Extracts of yeast cells containing the glc1 mutation exhibited an abnormally high trehalase activity. This elevated activity was associated with a defective cyclic AMP (cAMP)-dependent monocyclic cascade which, in normal cells, regulates trehalase activity by means of protein phosphorylation and dephosphorylation. Trehalase in extracts of normal cells was largely in a cryptic form which could be activated in vitro by ATP . Mg in the presence of cAMP. Normal extracts also exhibited a correlated cAMP-dependent protein kinase which catalyzed incorporation of label from [gamma-32P]ATP into protamine. In contrast, cAMP had little or no additional activating effect on trehalase or on protamine phosphorylation in extracts of glc1 cells. Similar, unregulated activation of cryptic trehalase was also found in glycogen-deficient strains bearing a second, independently isolated mutant allele, glc1-2. Since trehalase activity was not directly affected by cAMP, the results indicate that the glc1 mutation results in an abnormally active protein kinase which has lost its normal dependence on cAMP. Trehalase in extracts of either normal or mutant cells underwent conversion to a cryptic form in an Mg2+-dependent, fluoride-sensitive reaction. Rates of this reversible reduction of activity were similar in extracts of mutant and normal cells. This same, unregulated protein kinase would act on glycogen synthase, maintaining it in the phosphorylated low-activity D-form. The glc1 mutants provide a novel model system for investigating the in vivo metabolic functions of a specific, cAMP-dependent protein kinase.