Earthquakes Record Cycles of Opening and Closing in the Enhanced Seismic Catalog of the 2008 Okmok Volcano, Alaska, Eruption

Seismicity during explosive volcanic eruptions remains challenging to observe through the eruptive noise, leaving first‐order questions unanswered. How do earthquake rates change as eruptions progress, and what is their relationship to the opening and closing of the eruptive vent? To address these questions for the Okmok Volcano 2008 explosive eruption, Volcano Explosivity Index 4, we utilized modern detection methods to enhance the existing earthquake catalog. Our enhanced catalog detected significantly more earthquakes than traditional methods. We located, relocated, determined magnitudes and classified all events within this catalog. Our analysis reveals distinct behaviors for long‐period (LP) and volcano‐tectonic (VT) earthquakes, providing insights into the opening and closing cycle. LP earthquakes occur as bursts beneath the eruptive vent and do not coincide in time with the plumes, indicating their relationship to an eruptive process that occurs at a high pressurization state, that is, partially closed conduit. In contrast, VT earthquakes maintain a steadier rate over a broader region, do not track the caldera deflation and have a larger b‐value during the eruption than before or after. The closing sequence is marked by a burst of LPs followed by small VTs south of the volcano. The opening sequence differs as only VTs extend to depth and migrate within minutes of the eruption onset. Our high‐resolution catalog offers valuable insights, demonstrating that volcanic conduits can transition between partially closed (clogged) and open (cracked) states during an eruption. Utilizing modern earthquake processing techniques enables clearer understanding of eruptions and holds promise for studying other volcanic events. Plain Language Summary Sparse instrumentation and high noise levels prevent us from seeing most of the quakes that occur. This problem is particularly severe during large volcanic eruptions when the explosive processes hide most of the seismic waves. Here, we overcome the problem by utilizing a suite of signal processing methods to dramatically increase our ability to see earthquakes during the noisiest, most difficult to monitor stage of a volcanic eruption. This high‐resolution data set unveils features of the volcanic structure as well as the dynamic interaction between the solid medium and the fluids. When the system is closed (clogged), the rocks are stressed by the trapped pressurized fluids and then break in earthquakes. When the system