Comment on “Seismic Velocity Variations at Different Depths Reveal the Dynamic Evolution Associated With the 2018 Kilauea Eruption” by Liu et al.

Abstract

AbstractLiu et al. (2022, https://doi.org/10.1029/2021GL093691) used Rayleigh waves extracted from the cross‐correlation of ambient noise recorded by two stations to monitor the seismic velocity variations associated with the 2018 Kı̄lauea eruption. However, their study ignored the fact that the tremors on the Island of Hawai'i were dominated by a source at the Kı̄lauea summit before the eruption. Close inspection of the waveforms of the station pair PAUD‐STCD shows a simple, mistakenly identified wave traveling direction in Liu et al. (2022, https://doi.org/10.1029/2021GL093691). A correct wave traveling direction agrees with the noise source model, where the dominant tremor source should be at the Kı̄lauea summit. Because of the drastic change in the tremor source after the eruption, the cross‐correlation of the tremor records may reflect predominantly changes in the source rather than in the medium properties between the two stations.