Austria | Germany | France | Sweden | India | USA | China | Singapore
Long term Volcano Monitoring – A field study
Tips & Trends | 3 minutes Reading Time |

Long term Volcano Monitoring – A field study

Monitoring volcano activity is an important issue in the mitigation of natural hazards. Recently, most fatal issues occurred on volcanoes with low-energy and moderate activity, making them attractive touristic places (e.g., the 2014 Mount Ontake eruption in Japan). For these types of volcanoes, monitoring involves multiphysics measurements on dense networks. Distributed networks of sensors must be easily adapted to the volcano’s evolving state and the appearance of new active areas like fumaroles or high heat flux in the soil.

The team at Geosciences Rennes, a joint mixed research unit between the University of Rennes and the CNRS (UMR-6118), has been conducting monitoring experiments on the volcano La Grande Soufrière over the last 15 years. La Grande Soufrière is located in Guadeloupe, a French overseas region located in the southern Caribbean Sea. 

In response to the volcano regaining activity since 2014, the Géosciences laboratory decided to increase their monitoring capacity on the top of the lava dome by deploying a network of sensors (e.g., Pt100 in fumaroles, 1D and 3D seismic geophones, thermocouples in the soil, pressure sensor and Pt100 in the boiling acid lake). The team’s previous positive experience with the Gantner Instruments’ e.series (e.reader, e.pac, and e.bloxx) led them to retain the Q.series to develop their new acquisition network. 

Data aquisition concept
Figure 1: Data aquisition concept

Figure 1 is a synoptic of the basic network at work since 2015: a Q.station 101 together with multiple Q.bloxx A108 and A107 modules distributed over three RS485 buses. Wind turbines and photovoltaic units provide electrical power to the network. A long-range Wi-Fi link is used to transmit the data to the volcano observatory located 10 km away. A GPS antenna is used to synchronize the Q.station, which is particularly crucial because precise time synchronization is needed to correlate the seismic data acquired with the geophones connected to A108 modules. Because of their versatility, A107 modules are used in the most active areas where multiphysics measurements are performed with either resistive, voltage, or current sensors. The A107 modules’ flexibility allows IPGP to test using their sensor prototypes in the measurement campaign. 

Pelicase DAQ hardware for the volcano monitoring
Figure 2: Pelicase DAQ hardware for the volcano monitoring
Pelican case

The environmental conditions at the top of the volcano are very harsh. The main difficulties are heavy tropical rain (8,000 mm per year), strong winds, lightning storms, and acidic gases emitted by fumaroles. Despite these harsh conditions, Gantner Instruments systems remain operational almost all the time. The systems are protected using a “double box” technique. The first box on the outside is used to protect against heavy rains and wind. The conditions inside this container roughly correspond to IP62 except for the acidic gases present. A Pelican case is then placed inside the first box, which contains the DAQ system and protects against humidity and acidic gases. 

Q.stations at different locations around the volcano

The Géosciences laboratory is currently improving its acquisition network by installing several Q.stations at different locations around the volcano. This solution reduces the lengths of the RS-485 lines that appear sensitive to lightning and the GPS time synchronization provides a common time base for all measurement data.

For an example of the scientific usage of the data acquired with the Gantner Instruments DAQ platform, you may consult our recent paper regarding “Abrupt changes of hydrothermal activity in a lava dome detected by combined seismic and muon monitoring” available online

More articles

Products & Services

New Monitoring Solution – Q.series Portable

For short-term or rout-based condition monitoring of various assets we now provide a portable system solution. Our new Q.series Portable based on Q.station 101 and OEM-boards for analog and digital inputs contained in a robust transport case is fully engineered and ready to use ‘out of the box’. The electronic boards and the power supply system are mounted on shock absorbers to withstand heavy-duty work under harsh environments in the field.

Read more...
News

Gantner Instruments and i4M Technologies

Gantner Instruments and i4M Technologies (i4M) have joined forces to offer groundbreaking solutions in data acquisition.

Read more...
Events

Mesures Solutions Expo 2024

Being close to customers is the motto of the Mesures Solutions EXPO, which will be held on October 16 and 17 at the Cité des Congrès in Lyon.

Read more...
Events

The Electric & Hybrid Aerospace Technology Symposium 2024

Join us at the Electric & Hybrid Aerospace Technology Symposium 2024, on October 30-31, to explore the latest innovations in sustainable aviation and connect with industry leaders.

Read more...