Application of shock wave research to geophysics

This is a report describing an ambitious application of shock wave research to volcanology. In the explosive eruption of a volcano, a shock wave or a blast wave is created, which as it propagates, exhibits characteristics rel ated to the nature of the pressure release at the mouth of the volcano. Hen ce, it was decided that it would be worthwhile to measure its overpressure in situ via a pressure transducer installed at a point not very far away fr om its mouth and then to use the measured data to validate a numerical sche me which, to identify the initial energy release of the eruption, was const ructed for shock wave propagation over the three-dimensional geometry. The Shock Wave Research Center, Institute of Fluid Science, Tohoku University b egan a project in 1995 to study the shock wave dynamics of volcanic eruptio n, by measuring the time variation of blast wave overpressures in situ at M ount Aso near Kumamoto. This paper describes the preparation of the overpre ssure measurement, still awaiting an eruption, and the result of a three-di mensional hue numerical simulation, which is ready to be compared with the measured data. (C) 1999 Published by Elsevier Science S.A. All rights reser ved.