I am a seismologist interested in everything related to volcanoes, earthquakes and large-scale geodynamic processes such as subduction, rifting and mountain building. In recent years, my work has focussed on understanding magmatic-tectonic interactions along the East African Rift System. As part of the SEISVOL project funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG), I was able to study the Natron Basin and the magmatic system of the only currently active carbonatite volcano on Earth, Oldoinyo Lengai. Most recently, I have focused in particular on analysing volcanic tremor to understand this multifaceted signal and its significance for pre-eruptive and eruptive processes. I am also an expert in the analysis of shear wave splitting, which I use to characterise seismic anisotropy.
SEISVOL
is the abbreviation for Seismic and Infrasound Networks to study the Oldoinyo Lengai volcano. This research is funded by the DFG (German Research Foundation) for a period of 4.5 years.
Oldoinyo Lengai in the North Tanzanian Divergence (NTD) is the only active natrocarbonatite volcano in the world and represents an important magmatic end-member in a young rift segment of the East African Rift System (EARS). This volcano typically undergoes long-lasting natrocarbonatitic eruptions with occasional short-lived explosive eruptions. These changes may be caused by stress interactions between different magma networks beneath Oldoinyo Lengai and neighbouring rift volcanoes or by a complex differentiation process in which CO2-driven natrocarbonatitic magma is released from a magma chamber. To better understand the role of stress interactions and magma plumbing on eruptive dynamics, this study aims to constrain the subsurface magmatic architecture of Oldoinyo Lengai and a zone of persistent seismicity and intrusive activity beneath the extinct, 1-million-year-old Gelai shield volcano and the active Naibor-Soito monogenetic cone field.
We are working with Dr Emmanuel Kazimoto, a researcher from the University of Dar es Salaam, and his student Amani Laizer, MSc. We are indebted to them as well as to the Tanzania Commission for Science and Technology (COSTECH) and the local Maasai community.
SplitRacer
SplitRacer is a graphical user interface in the MATLAB environment for teleseismic shear wave splitting analyses. With regard to increasingly large seismological experiments, SplitRacer is designed for fast processing of large data sets, for which it integrates automatic and user-active steps. This enables straightforward analysis based on the user's own quality criteria. SplitRacer offers a range of features that ensure both precise measurements and ease of use.