Deep Low‐Frequency Earthquakes Beneath the Hakone Volcano, Central Japan, and their Relation to Volcanic Activity

Abstract

AbstractDeep low‐frequency earthquakes (DLFEs) are ubiquitous seismic activities in the deep parts of volcanoes. Owing to the low signal‐to‐noise ratio, the seismic activities of DLFEs have not been characterized in detail; particularly, the linkage between DLFEs and shallow volcanic activity has not been understood sufficiently. In this study, numerous DLFEs have been successfully detected beneath the Hakone volcano, central Japan, by cross‐correlating a template to the continuous seismic signals. The resulting seismic catalog reveals that DLFEs are activated prior to notable earthquake swarms in the shallow part of a volcano and to the crustal expansion caused by a pressure source at a depth of 7 km. Results indicate that the activation of DLFEs reflects the feeding of magmatic fluid from depth. The subsequent increment in the magmatic‐fluid pressure triggers shallow volcanic activities.