The AQG-B Absolute Quantum Gravimeter: A Promising Sensor for Volcano Monitoring

Time lapse or continuous microgravity surveys have proven to be an effective tool for monitoring underground mass transfer at small scales that cannot be detected by satellite techniques due to inadequate space resolution. They can therefore be used to monitor geodynamically active zones and to mitigate natural and man-made geohazards. In volcanology, time-variable microgravimetry, combined with ground deformation and other methods (e.g., seismicity, muography or electric soundings), allows imaging and characterization of subsurface processes that may lead to unrest or eruptions. It provides information on possible magma transfer and processes occurring within magma chambers such as crystallisation and accumulation of gas at shallow depth. A thorough and comprehensive review of time-variable volcano gravimetry has been published by 1 to which any interested reader may refer.