Acoustic source characterization of impulsive Strombolian eruptions from the Mount Erebus lava lake

We invert for acoustic source volume outflux and momentum imparted to the atmosphere using an infrasonic network distributed about the erupting lava lake at Mount Erebus, Ross Island, Antarctica. By modeling these relatively simple eruptions as monopole point sources we estimate explosively ejected gas volumes that range from 1,000 m3 to 24,000 m3 for 312 lava lake eruptions recorded between January 6 and April 13, 2006. Though these volumes are compatible with bubble volumes at rupture (as estimated from explosion video records), departures from isotropic radiation are evident in the recorded acoustic wavefield for many eruptions. A point-source acoustic dipole component with arbitrary axis orientation and strength provides precise fit to the recorded infrasound. This dipole source axis, corresponding to the axis of inferred short-duration material jetting, varies significantly between events. Physical interpretation of dipole orientation as being indicative of eruptive directivity is corroborated by directional emissions of ejecta observed in Erebus eruption video footage. Although three azimuthally distributed stations are insufficient to fully characterize the eruptive acoustic source we speculate that a monopole with a minor amount of oriented dipole radiation may reasonably model the primary features of the recorded infrasound for these eruptions.