Volcanic magma reservoir imaged as a low-density body beneath Aso volcano that terminated the 2016 Kumamoto earthquake rupture

Abstract

We resolve the density structure of a possible magma reservoir beneath Aso, an active volcano on Kyushu Island, Japan, by inverting gravity data. In the context of the resolved structure, we discuss the relationship between the fault rupture of the 2016 Kumamoto earthquake and Aso volcano. Low-density bodies were resolved beneath central Aso volcano using a three-dimensional inversion with an assumed density contrast of ±0.3 g/cm3. The resultant location of the southern low-density body is consistent with a magma reservoir reported in previous studies. No Kumamoto aftershocks occur in the southern low-density body; this aseismic anomaly may indicate a ductile feature due to high temperatures and/or the presence of partial melt. Comparisons of the location of the southern low-density body with rupture models of the mainshock, obtained from teleseismic waveform and InSAR data, suggest that the rupture terminus overlaps the southern low-density body. The ductile features of a magma reservoir could have terminated rupture propagation. On the other hand, a northern low-density body is resolved in the Asodani area, where evidence of current volcanic activity is scarce and aftershock activity is high. The northern low-density body might, therefore, be derived from a thick caldera fill in the Asodani area, or correspond to mush magma or a high-crystallinity magma reservoir that could be the remnant of an ancient intrusion.