How predictable are the volcano eruptions? from global scale to Piton de la Fournaise volcano.

This PhD work focused on several aspects of the eruptions prediction. It allowed us to consider different space scales from global scale to a single volcano, Piton de la Fournaise, through statistical approaches. We then focused more specifically on the volcano-seismicity associated to its eruptive processes, using deterministic methods. First, we analyzed the statistical properties of the eruptive dynamics at the global scale. The emergence of recurrent power laws allowed us to relate the eruptive dynamics to the SOC systems, thereby attesting for the difficulty to predict eruptions by means of deterministic methods. At the global scale, the study of the Omori-law found for eruptions foreshocks and aftershocks, along with the analysis of the parameters of those Omori laws given the size of eruptions, suggests that the damage and relaxation energy in the crust around eruption time and location is power-law distributed. However, the loading and relaxation coefficients are found different than for classical tectonic seismicity, thereby attesting their dependency to the damage processes. When zooming on three observables of Piton de la Fournaise volcano (seismicity, deformation and seismic velocity changes), me showed in a third part that the respective behaviors of the three observables respond to the different steps of the eruptive process, at different time and space scales. The analysis of the pre-eruptive behaviors of those forerunners under pattern recognition techniques enhanced the optimization of the prediction results by combining simultaneously their pre-eruptive information. Lastly, we performed a specific and deterministic study of the volcano-tectonic seismicity of Piton de la Fournaise through the assessment of the source mechanisms of the volcano-tectonic seismicity. Given the complexity of volcanic context, we developed a method to retrieve the source mechanisms of small and high-frequency seismic signals. Using this method three main families of events with different locations and times of occurrence emerge. Two of them may be interpreted as the readjustment of the crust during dyke opening whereas the third family is interpreted as the signature of fluids-rock interactions at the top of the magma Storage zone.

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Source https://theses.hal.science/tel-00680072
Author Schmid, Agathe
Maintainer CCSD
Last Updated May 24, 2026, 08:25 (UTC)
Created May 24, 2026, 08:25 (UTC)
Identifier NNT: 2011GRENU046
Language fr
Rights https://about.hal.science/hal-authorisation-v1/
contributor Institut des Sciences de la Terre (ISTerre) ; Université Joseph Fourier - Grenoble 1 (UJF)-Institut Français des Sciences et Technologies des Transports, de l'Aménagement et des Réseaux (IFSTTAR)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Institut de recherche pour le développement [IRD] : UR219-PRES Université de Grenoble-Université Savoie Mont Blanc (USMB [Université de Savoie] [Université de Chambéry])-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)
creator Schmid, Agathe
date 2011-10-20T00:00:00
harvest_object_id 78ceb80b-c02f-42f9-8a7a-1d14274a3937
harvest_source_id 3374d638-d20b-4672-ba96-a23232d55657
harvest_source_title test moissonnage SELUNE
metadata_modified 2026-03-30T00:00:00
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