Simulated Annealing for volcano muography

Muography or muon radiography is a non-invasive emerging image technology relying on high energy atmospheric muons, which complements other standard geophysical tools to understand the Earth's subsurface. This work discusses a geophysical inversion methodology for volcanic muography, based on the Simulated Annealing algorithm, using a semi-empirical model of the muon flux to reach the volcano topography and a framework for the energy loss of muons in rock. The Metropolis-Simulated-Annealing algorithm starts from an observed muon flux and obtains the best associated inner density distribution function inside a syntetic model of the Cerro Machin Volcano (Tolima-Colombia). The estimated initial density model was obtained with GEOMODELER, adapted to the volcano topography. We improved this model by including rock densities from samples taken from the crater, the dome and the areas associated with fumaroles. In this paper we determined the minimum muon energy (a function of the arrival direction) needed to cross the volcanic building, the emerging integrated flux of muons, and the density profile inside a model of Cerro Machin. The present inversion correctly reconstructed the density differences inside the Machin, within a 1% error concerning our initial simulation model, giving a remarkable density contrast between the volcanic duct, the encasing rock and the fumaroles area.

Automated summary

Muography, an emerging technology using high-energy atmospheric muons for volcanic imaging, successfully reconstructed density differences inside Cerro Machin volcano using a geophysical inversion methodology. The study combined a semi-empirical muon flux model with Metropolis-Simulated-Annealing algorithm, achieving a remarkable density contrast between volcanic duct, encasing rock, and fumaroles area.