Crustal deformation caused by the 1914 eruption of Sakurajima volcano, Japan and its secular changes

Abstract

Analysis of ground-deformation data obtained at and around Sakurajima volcano during the 1914 eruption indicates that the deformation may be interpreted by assuming a model with two pressure sources, one shallow (about 2 km deep) and vertically directive and the other deep (about 8 km deep) and obliquely, directly beneath the volcano. This model is reasonable from the viewpoint of the volcanic processes. The local upheaval near the centers of eruption has scarcely recovered because it surpassed the elastic limit. The recovery of the regional depression after the eruption can be interpreted as pressure accumulation beneath the volcano. It may be concluded that the center of pressure would remain at the deeper source beneath the volcano, but that the pressure would change, resulting in surface deformation. The depression and its recovery suggest the presence of a pressure focus or a ‘magma reservoir’ beneath the volcano.