Crustal deformation associated with the 2016 Kumamoto Earthquake and its effect on the magma system of Aso volcano

Abstract

An MJMA6.5 earthquake (foreshock) and MJMA7.3 earthquake (mainshock) struck Kumamoto Prefecture on April 14, 2016, and April 16, 2016. To evaluate the effect of crustal deformation due to the earthquake on the Aso magma system, we detected crustal deformation using InSAR and GNSS. From InSAR analysis, we detected large crustal deformations along the Hinagu Fault, the Futagawa Fault, and the northeast extension of the latter fault. It extended to more than 50 km, and the maximum slant-range change exceeded 1 m. Although the obtained crustal deformation was approximately explained by the right-lateral strike-slip on the fault, its details could not be explained by such simple faulting. Additionally, we found complex surface deformation west of the Aso caldera rim, suggesting that shallow fault slips occurred in many known and unknown faults associated with the earthquake. Most of the crustal deformation could be reasonably explained by four rectangle faults located along the Futagawa Fault, in the northeast extension of the Futagawa Fault, alongside the Hinagu Fault, and in the eastern part of the Futagawa Fault. The first three of faults have high dip angles and right-lateral slip. The other was a fault with a low dip angle that branched from the shallow depth of the fault along the Futagawa Fault. The normal-dip right-lateral slip was estimated for this segment. Based on the estimated fault model, we calculated the displacement and stress field around the Aso volcano by the finite-element method (FEM) to evaluate the effects on the Aso magma system. In this calculation, we assumed a spherical soft medium located at a 6-km depth beneath the area south of the Kusasenri region as the magma system and considered only static effects. The result shows complex distributions of displacements and stresses, but we can notice the following significant points. (1) The spherical magma system deformed to an ellipsoid, and the total volume was slightly increased, less than 1%. (2) The differential stress around the upper portion of the magma system was as large as 3.5 MPa. This is strong enough to open pre-existing cracks and can cause the migration of magma.