Ambient noise tomography of Eyjafjallajökull volcano, Iceland

We present a shear-velocity model for the Eyjafjallajökull stratovolcano, based on ambient seismic noise tomography applied to seven months of data from six permanent stations and 10 temporary seismic stations, deployed during and after the 2010 volcanic unrest. Vertical components of noise were cross correlated resulting in 30 robust phase-velocity dispersion curves between 1.6 and 6.5 s in period, displaying a ± 20% variation in phase velocity beneath the volcano. The uneven distribution of noise sources, evaluated using signal-to-noise ratios, was estimated to cause less than 2% error in most curves. Sensitivity kernels showed resolution down to 10 km and the lateral resolution of the resulting phase-velocity maps was about 5 km. The model reveals east-west oriented high-velocity anomalies due east and west of the caldera. Between these a zone of lower velocity is identified, coinciding with the location of earthquakes that occurred during the summit eruption in April 2010. A shallow, southwest elongated low-velocity anomaly is located 5 km southwest of the caldera. The limited depth resolution of the shear-velocity model precludes detection of melt within the volcano.