Thickness of a submarine lava flow determined from near-bottom magnetic field mapping by autonomous underwater vehicle

Abstract

Magnetic field surveys obtained near the seafloor can map the boundaries of recent volcanic eruptions and can provide thickness estimates of these lava flow units independent of bathymetry differencing methods. Magnetic thickness estimation requires knowledge of the intensity of magnetization of the new lava and surrounding terrain, but this can be satisfactorily obtained by representative sampling of the various volcanic units. While bathymetry differencing requires pre-existing data to assess the thickness of new lava eruptions, magnetic surveys can be obtained after an eruption has occurred. In this study, near-bottom magnetic surveys were obtained using an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV), which operates without a tether or human intervention. AUV technology offers rapid deployment and an efficient surveying approach for remotely mapping recent lava eruption sites on the seafloor.