Andesitic Volcanoes Research Articles

Seismicity of an andesitic volcano during block-lava effusion: Volcán de Colima, México, November 1998–January 1999

The block-lava effusion at Volcan de Colima, Mexico began on November 20, 1998, after 12 months of seismic activity, and ended about 80 days later. Three types of seismic events were observed during the lava effusion. Volcano—tectonic earthquakes occurred mainly at the very beginning and after the termination of lava effusion. Explosion earthquakes occurred frequently during the period of the maximum rate in lava effusion. The remainder of the seismic signals were associated with pyroclastic flows and rockfalls from the lava dome. These latter signals increased sharply in number at the onset of lava effusion. The rate of occurrence remained high when the lava discharge rate decreased but gradually decreased after the termination of lava effusion. Maximum daily durations of seismic signals are proportional to the daily volumetric output of lava, indicating the dependence of the number of pyroclastic flows on the rate of lava output. A log-log plot of seismic signal duration vs. number of events with this duration displays a linear relationship. The short-period seismic signals can be divided into three categories based on duration: short events with durations less than 100 s; intermediate events with durations between 100 and 250 s; and long events with durations longer than 250 s. We infer that long events correspond to pyroclastic flows with mean deposit volume ∼2×105 m3, and intermediate events represent pyroclastic flows with mean deposit volume ∼1×103 m3.

Prototype PBO instrumentation of CALIPSO project captures world‐record lava dome collapse on Montserrat Volcano

This article is an update on the status of an innovative new project designed to enhance generally our understanding of andesitic volcano eruption dynamics and, specifically the monitoring and scientific infrastructure at the active Soufrière Hills Volcano (SHV), Montserrat. The project has been designated as the Caribbean Andesite Lava Island Precision Seismo‐geodetic Observatory known as CALIPSO. Its purpose is to investigate the dynamics of the entire SHV magmatic system using an integrated array of specialized instruments in four strategically located ∼200‐m‐deep boreholes in concert with several shallower holes and surface sites. The project is unique, as it represents the first, and only such borehole volcano‐monitoring array deployed at an andesitic stratovolcano.

The eruptive history of the Tequila volcanic field, western Mexico: ages, volumes, and relative proportions of lava types

The eruptive history of the Tequila volcanic field (1600 km2) in the western Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt is based on 40Ar/39Ar chronology and volume estimates for eruptive units younger than 1 Ma. Ages are reported for 49 volcanic units, including Volcán Tequila (an andesitic stratovolcano) and peripheral domes, flows, and scoria cones. Volumes of volcanic units ≤1 Ma were obtained with the aid of field mapping, ortho aerial photographs, digital elevation models (DEMs), and ArcGIS software. Between 1120 and 200 kyrs ago, a bimodal distribution of rhyolite (~35 km3) and high-Ti basalt (~39 km3) dominated the volcanic field. Between 685 and 225 kyrs ago, less than 3 km3 of andesite and dacite erupted from more than 15 isolated vents; these lavas are crystal-poor and show little evidence of storage in an upper crustal chamber. Approximately 200 kyr ago, ~31 km3 of andesite erupted to form the stratocone of Volcán Tequila. The phenocryst assemblage of these lavas suggests storage within a chamber at ~2–3 km depth. After a hiatus of ~110 kyrs, ~15 km3 of andesite erupted along the W and SE flanks of Volcán Tequila at ~90 ka, most likely from a second, discrete magma chamber located at ~5–6 km depth. The youngest volcanic feature (~60 ka) is the small andesitic volcano Cerro Tomasillo (~2 km3). Over the last 1 Myr, a total of 128±22 km3 of lava erupted in the Tequila volcanic field, leading to an average eruption rate of ~0.13 km3/kyr. This volume erupted over ~1600 km2, leading to an average lava accumulation rate of ~8 cm/kyr. The relative proportions of lava types are ~22–43% basalt, ~0.4–1% basaltic andesite, ~29–54% andesite, ~2–3% dacite, and ~18–40% rhyolite. On the basis of eruptive sequence, proportions of lava types, phenocryst assemblages, textures, and chemical composition, the lavas do not reflect the differentiation of a single (or only a few) parental liquids in a long-lived magma chamber. The rhyolites are geochemically diverse and were likely formed by episodic partial melting of upper crustal rocks in response to emplacement of basalts. There are no examples of mingled rhyolitic and basaltic magmas. Whatever mechanism is invoked to explain the generation of andesite at the Tequila volcanic field, it must be consistent with a dominantly bimodal distribution of high-Ti basalt and rhyolite for an 800 kyr interval beginning ~1 Ma, which abruptly switched to punctuated bursts of predominantly andesitic volcanism over the last 200 kyrs.

From andesitic volcanism to the formation of a porphyry Cu-Au mineralizing magma chamber: the Farallón Negro Volcanic Complex, northwestern Argentina

The geological relations and geochemical composition of extrusive and subvolcanic intrusive rocks of the Upper Miocene Farallón Negro Volcanic Complex (NW Argentina) were studied to reconstruct the evolution of a deeply eroded andesitic volcano over most its life history of some 3.5 my. This paper is part of an integrated study of the processes that generate magmatic-hydrothermal fluids responsible for the formation of porphyry-Cu-Au deposits. Here we present new data on bulk rock chemical and Nd, Sr and Pb isotopic compositions of unaltered volcanic and subvolcanic intrusive rocks, for which geological relations and ages are constrained by field-based stratigraphy and extensive Ar–Ar geochronology. The combined results indicate that voluminous volcanism started at ca. 9.7 Ma with the eruption of basaltic andesite to andesite lava flows and pyroclastic deposits. This basic to intermediate volcanism persisted until 7.5 Ma and was followed at 7.35 Ma by the eruption of dacites as the last recorded major extrusive event. The oldest andesitic intrusions, emplaced at 9.0 Ma, were followed by hypabyssal intrusions of basaltic andesite, andesite and dacite composition, which intruded the volcanic sequence between 8.3 and 6.1 Ma. Intrusions at 6.8±0.2 Ma led to the formation of over 800 Mt of porphyry-Cu-Au ore at Bajo de la Alumbrera. It was formed by a large flux of magmatic-hydrothermal fluids channeled through several phases of fractured dacitic porphyry, which together with immediately following barren andesitic intrusions make up a composite stock. After this magmatic-hydrothermal event, only minor rhyodacitic to rhyolitic intrusions were emplaced until magmatic activity ceased at 6.1 Ma. Geochemical data for the magmatic rocks indicate that the evolution of the system was dominated by mixing of a mafic magma with a felsic magma that contained a component of crustal material, as indicated by linear compositional correlations between compatible and incompatible elements. Initial strontium isotopic ratios vary between 0.7047 and 0.7118 while 143Nd/ 144Nd range from 0.5127 to 0.5124, and both isotopic variations correlate with each other and with SiO 2 content of the rocks. After 8.5 Ma, a continuous increase in the silica content of intrusive rocks suggests the gradual formation of a magma chamber. A substantial magma reservoir (>7 km 3) must have been established by the time of porphyry-Cu-Au mineralization, to allow rapid release of a large volume of ore-forming magmatic brine as a result of wholesale crystallization and de-volatilization of the magma chamber.

Landslide Preconditions and Collapse of the San Francisco Mountain Composite Volcano, Arizona, into Cold Debris Avalanches in Late Pleistocene

Abstract Large composite volcanoes can collapse into debris avalanches even if alteration is absent and an eruption is not in progress or imminent. At San Francisco Mountain, Arizona, a large valley that penetrates the core of the volcano is at the apex of a large fan of bouldery volcaniclastic deposits. A 115‐m‐thick layer sampled in a borehole that penetrates the fan is composed of dense and unaltered lithic clasts in proportions similar to the bulk composition of the andesitic volcano; pumiceous clasts are absent. Within this layer, a 20‐m‐thick deposit consists mostly of clasts from two dacite extrusions that predate the valley: a flank flow and an inferred summit dome. This dacite‐rich deposit may be from a debris avalanche that originated by failure of the summit and northeast flank of the volcano in a repose interval during the last eruptive stage, which was about 0.43 to 0.22 Ma. Preconditions for slope failure include top loaded by massive lava flows and summit dome and cone inflated by intrusion...

Laser-ablation ICP-MS analysis of silicate and sulfide melt inclusions in an andesitic complex II: evidence for magma mixing and magma chamber evolution

Laser-ablation microanalysis of a large suite of silicate and sulfide melt inclusions from the deeply eroded, Cu-Au-mineralizing Farallón Negro Volcanic Complex (NW Argentina) shows that most phenocrysts in a given rock sample were not formed in equilibrium with each other. Phenocrysts in the andesitic volcano were brought together in dominantly andesitic—dacitic extrusive and intrusive rocks by intense magma mixing. This hybridization process is not apparent from macroscopic mingling textures, but is clearly recorded by systematically contrasting melt inclusions in different minerals from a given sample. Amphibole (and rare pyroxene) phenocrysts consistently contain inclusions of a mafic melt from which they crystallized before and during magma mixing. Most plagioclase and quartz phenocrysts contain melt inclusions of more felsic composition than the host rock. The endmember components of this mixing process are a rhyodacite magma with a likely crustal component, and a very mafic mantle-derived magma similar in composition to lamprophyre dykes emplaced early in the evolution of the complex. The resulting magmas are dominantly andesitic, in sharp contrast to the prominently bimodal distribution of mafic and felsic melts recorded by the inclusions. These results severely limit the use of mineral assemblages to derive information on the conditions of magma formation. Observed mineral associations are primarily the result of the mixing of partially crystallized magmas. The most mafic melt is trapped only in amphibole, suggesting pressures exceeding 350 MPa, temperatures of around 1,000 °C and water contents in excess on 6 wt%. Upon mixing, amphibole crystallized with plagioclase from andesitic magma in the source region of porphyry intrusions at 250 MPa, 950 °C and water contents of 5.5 wt%. During ascent of the extrusive magmas, pyroxene and plagioclase crystallized together, as a result of magma degassing at low pressures (150 MPa). Protracted extrusive activity built a large stratovolcano over the total lifetime of the magmatic complex (>3 m.y.). The mixing process probably triggered eruptions as a result of volatile exsolution.

Geochemistry, Sr–Nd isotope composition, and tectonic setting of Holocene Pelado, Guespalapa and Chichinautzin scoria cones, south of Mexico City

Holocene Pelado, Guespalapa and Chichinautzin monogenetic scoria cones and associated lava flows located within the Sierra del Chichinautzin Volcanic Field (SCVF) at the southern margin of Mexico City were mapped and sampled for mineralogical and chemical analyses. With the exception of Parı́cutin volcano in western Mexico, few scoria cones in the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt have ever been sampled in greater detail. Chemical analyses of rocks indicate that mafic products (e.g. Guespalapa and Chichinautzin) from individual volcanoes in the Sierra del Chichinautzin are characterized by substantial chemical variability, whereas high-silica andesite volcanoes (e.g. Pelado) are very uniform in composition. These findings have important bearings for regional tephrochronology. As a whole, rock compositions form a continuous coherent calc–alkaline suite, explicable by polybaric fractional crystallization±assimilation associated with successive stagnation at different depths along the ascent path. Trace element and Sr–Nd isotope analyses point toward a <1-km-scale heterogeneous (enriched/depleted) mantle wedge underneath the SCVF. The recently proposed plume-origin for these rocks is not in accord with our data. Instead, magma origin is discussed in relation to the tectonically complex subduction process of the oceanic Cocos Plate underneath the continental North American Plate.

Exploring the plate boundary structure of the North Island, New Zealand

New Zealand's North Island and the offshore region to the east are one of the few places on Earth where many features of an active convergent margin can be studied along a compact transect. All components normally identified with continent‐wide deformation are present. From east to west, these include oceanic plateau, trench, accretionary prism, axial range, active andesite volcanoes, back‐arc rift, fold and thrust belt, and foreland basin. The North Island, therefore, represents one of the best modern, active continental margins for assessing the role of subduction on compressional and extensional deformation of continental crust.

Reappraisal of the Geology and Geochemistry of Volcán Zamorano, Central Mexico: Implications for Discriminating the Sierra Madre Occidental and Mexican Volcanic Belt Provinces

We report new geological, 40Ar/39Ar geochronology, and geochemical data (major and trace elements, and Sr, Nd, and Pb isotopic ratios) on andesitic to dacitic rocks collected from Volcán Zamorano and on rhyolitic ignimbrites from the surrounding area. These data better constrain the relationship of two major volcanic provinces of Mexico: the mid-Tertiary Sierra Madre Occidental (SMO) and the Miocene to Recent Mexican Volcanic Belt (MVB). Structurally, the SMO and MVB show different extensional styles. The SMO was affected by east-west extension mainly during the Oligocene and middle Miocene, whereas the MVB was affected by extensional deformation during middle-to-late Miocene and Plio-Quaternary times, although reactivation of the older structural systems, such as the NNW-SSE system, has occurred in more recent times. The new geological data from the study area are consistent with the 40Ar/39Ar dates. The andesitic and dacitic rocks from Volcán Zamorano are about 10 Ma. These rocks, along with nearby andesitic and basaltic volcanoes, mark a relatively early phase of the MVB. The basaltic to dacitic rocks show the following ranges for Sr, Nd, and Pb isotopic ratios: (87Sr/86Sr)i 0.70362-0.70474; (143Nd/144Nd)i 0.51258-0.51286; 206Pb/204Pb 18.38-18.81; 207Pb/204Pb 15.57-15.63; and 208Pb/204Pb 38.27-38.70. For SMO ignimbrites (∼30-28 Ma) cropping out in the Zamorano area, (87Sr/86Sr)i are slightly higher (0.70407-0.70557), and (143Nd/144Nd)i are somewhat lower (0.51250-0.51253). Pb-isotope ratios for these ignimbrites are also higher (about 18.84-18.87, 15.65, and 38.78-38.82, respectively) than for basaltic to dacitic rocks from Volcán Zamorano and the surrounding area. Most studied rocks from both provinces seem to contain a crustal component. The ignimbrites are chemically and isotopically similar to rhyolitic and ignimbritic rocks sampled from other areas of the SMO. Our study of Volcán Zamorano shows that the transition from SMO to MVB was rather sudden and not a gradual process.

Merapi Volcano, Central Java, Indonesia: A case study of radionuclide behavior in volcanic gases and its implications for magma dynamics at andesitic volcanoes

For more than 20 years, volcanic gases have been regularly collected at Merapi Volcano, Indonesia, and have been subsequently analyzed for their (210Pb), (210Bi), and (210Po) activities and SO2 contents. These new results show the high volatility of the three radionuclides in andesitic gases, although their emanation coefficients (0.94%, 3.5%, and ≤53% for 210Pb, 210Bi, and 210Po, respectively) are significantly lower than those observed at basaltic volcanoes. This emphasizes the major role of magma temperature on the degassing of these metals, which are mainly transported in volcanic gases as Pb‐chloride compounds and as Bi‐ and Po‐metallic species. Radioactive disequilibria between 210Pb, 210Bi, and 210Po in the gas phase are characteristic of degassing processes and gas paths within the edifice. Gases released at both Gendol and Woro fumarolic fields are of magmatic origin, but their radionuclide content is strongly altered by secondary processes (chemical reactions with surrounding brines and deposition of sublimates in the ground). High‐temperature gases collected in the summit gas plume are of pure primary magmatic origin and are likely directly tapped in the degassing reservoir. Gases arising from the growing domes are strongly depleted in the most volatile isotopes and gas species. This suggests that magma mostly degasses at depth in open system, explaining why the volcano usually undergoes no explosive eruptions. The gas flux at Merapi is sustained by a deep magma supply which is twice the extrusion rate of lava. Unerupted degassed magma thus progressively accumulates beneath the summit, yielding an overpressure which can trigger dome collapse without precursor.

Modeling Strombolian eruptions of Karymsky volcano, Kamchatka, Russia

A model is proposed to explain temporal patterns of activity in a class of periodically exploding Strombolian-type andesite volcanoes. These patterns include major events (explosions) which occur every 3–30 min and subsequent tremor with a typical period of 1 s. This two-periodic activity is thought to be caused by two distinct mechanisms of accumulation of the elastic energy in the moving magma column: compressibility of the magma in the conduit and viscoelastic response of the almost solid magma plug on the top. A release of the elastic energy occurs during a stick–slip dynamic phase transition in a boundary layer along the walls of the conduit; this phase transition is driven by the shear stress accumulated in the boundary layer. The intrinsic hysteresis of this first-order phase transition explains the long periods of inactivity in the explosion cycle. Temporal characteristics of the model are found to be qualitatively similar to the acoustic and seismic signals recorded at Karymsky volcano in Kamchatka.

The role of volatiles in magma chamber dynamics.

Many andesitic volcanoes exhibit effusive eruption activity, with magma volumes as large as 10(7)-10(9) m(3) erupted at rates of 1-10 m(3) x s(-1) over periods of years or decades. During such eruptions, many complex cycles in eruption rates have been observed, with periods ranging from hours to years. Longer-term trends have also been observed, and are thought to be associated with the continuing recharge of magma from deep in the crust and with waning of overpressure in the magma reservoir. Here we present a model which incorporates effects due to compressibility of gas in magma. We show that the eruption duration and volume of erupted magma may increase by up to two orders of magnitude if the stored internal energy associated with dissolved volatiles can be released into the magma chamber. This mechanism would be favoured in shallow chambers or volatile-rich magmas and the cooling of magma by country rock may enhance this release of energy, leading to substantial increases in eruption rate and duration.

Late Cenozoic Metallogeny of Southwest Hokkaido, Japan

Abstract: This paper reviews the Miocene to Pleistocene tectonic framework, geology, magmatic style and stress field of southwest Hokkaido, Japan, and compiles deposit form, type, ore and alteration minerals, strike and length of mineralized veins, and associated igneous activity. The late Cenozoic tectonic regime of the Sapporo‐Iwanai ore district is divided into five periods on the basis of the subduction mode of the Pacific plate: Period 1 (15.0–12.1 Ma) oblique‐subduction setting with an orthogonal convergence rate (OCR) of 51–81 mm/y; Period 2 (12.1–6.2 Ma) normal subduction with an OCR of 81–94 mm/y; Period 3 (6.2–3.6 Ma) oblique subduction setting with an OCR of 73–99 mm/y; Period 4 (3.6–1.5 Ma) normal‐subduction setting with an OCR of 99–103 mm/y and Period 5 (1.5–0 Ma) oblique‐subduction setting with an OCR from 99 to 57 mm/y.The hydrothermal deposits in the district include Kuroko deposits of Period 1 and epithermal vein‐type deposits of Periods 2 to 5. The Kuroko deposits were accompanied by submarine monogenetic rhyolite volcanism associated with tholeiitic basalt in the backarc region. In contrast, Late Miocene to Pliocene epithermal vein‐type deposits were associated mainly with polygenetic andesite and monogenetic rhyodacite volcanism of calc‐alkaline series. These different styles of magmatism occurred in an extensional tectonic regime (Period 1), and weakened extensional (Periods 2–3) or neutral tectonic regimes (Periods 4). Periods 2–5 epithermal vein‐type deposits are divided into base‐metal and precious‐metal deposits. The base‐metal deposits are associated mainly with large (&gt;5 km in diameter) polygenetic andesitic volcanoes and subvol‐canic intrusions. The precious‐metal deposits are associated with small (&lt;5 km in diameter) polygenetic or monogenetic volcanoes and/or subvolcanic intrusions of andesite, dacite and rhyolite near the volcanic arc front. This difference in distribution is ascribed to different states of horizontal differential stress.Productive vein‐type deposits, such as Toyoha, Inakuraishi, Ohe and Chitose, formed in the neutral regime with a large horizontal differential stress during Period 4, which may have promoted strike‐slip faulting and non–extrusive, subvol‐canic intrusion. This tectonic regime and stress field resulted from the normal subduction of the Pacific plate with elevated velocity. This observation leads to the conclusion that large metallic deposits in southwest Hokkaido are expected to have formed primarily during Pliocene magmatic‐hydrothermal activity, when the orthogonal convergence rate was highest and strike‐slip faulting was active.

Geomorphic processes at a snowpatch hollow on Gassan volcano, northern Japan

AbstractPresent‐day geomorphic processes, in a snowpatch hollow on an andesitic volcano (Gassan, 1984 m ASL; 38° 38′ N, 140° 02′ E) where late‐lying snow survives nearly 10 months every year, have been measured for several years. Although soil temperature data show a concentration of freeze‐thaw activities in autumn, these fluctuations rarely drop to the effective temperature range for frost shattering. Wetting and drying rather than frost action is thought responsible for debris production which ranges from 2.12 to 49.68 g m−2 a−1, equivalent to a rock surface retreat of 0.001 to 0.019 mm a−1. Thawing of seasonal frost and saturation of soils induces frost creep and gelifluction: maximum values of surface velocity and depth of soil movement are 0.9 cm a−1 and 14 cm, respectively. Annually, slope lowering of 0.3 cm occurs in the pro‐nival and sub‐nival wash‐rill zones. In comparison with other snowpatch sites in the world, rates of soil movement and rock surface denudation are considerably lower at the study site, while fluvial action seems important. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley &amp; Sons, Ltd.

Appraisal of the Tokaanu–Waihi geothermal field and its relationship with the Tongariro geothermal field, New Zealand

Tokaanu–Waihi geothermal field is situated near the southern end of the Taupo Volcanic Zone, New Zealand. Neutral chloride thermal waters discharge at Tokaanu and Waihi in the north of the field on flat land between the andesite volcanoes Tihia and Kakaramea and the shore of Lake Taupo, while steam-heated thermal features occur at Hipaua on the northern flanks of Kakaramea. Electrical resistivity surveys have been made over the field using several different measurement techniques. In the north of the field where roads and tracks allow vehicle access, resistivity profiling using Schlumberger arrays with electrode spacings (AB/2) of 500 m and 1000 m show that Tokaanu, Waihi and Hipaua all lie within a continuous region of low apparent resistivity (5–20 Ωm) and are thus part of the same geothermal system. Along the eastern edge of the system there is a sharp transition to apparent resistivities greater than 100 Ωm in the cold surrounding region. Surveys on Lake Taupo using an equatorial bipole-bipole electrode array towed behind boats (spacing equivalent to AB/2=500 m) found that the low resistivity zone extends offshore by about 1 km. The steep, bush-clad, southern part of the field was surveyed with magnetotelluric (MT) resistivity measurements using both naturally occurring signals and the 50 Hz radiation from the power wires as sources. These measurements found low resistivities over the north-eastern slopes and around the summits of Tihia and Kakaramea, indicating thermal activity. However, the measurements were too widely spaced to allow the field boundary to be clearly delineated. Interpretation of the resistivity and other data suggests that the Tokaanu–Waihi thermal waters rise nearly vertically from a source deep beneath the elevated southwestern part of the field to the water table. These waters then flow north to discharge at the surface near Lake Taupo. Neighbouring geothermal systems, which occur at Tongariro about 18 km south of Tokaanu–Waihi, and at Motuoapa about 10 km to the northeast, are separated from the Tokaanu–Waihi field by high resistivity ground. This suggests that the thermal fluids discharging at the three fields do not have a common source, as has been suggested previously.

Changes in seismic anisotropy after volcanic eruptions: evidence from Mount Ruapehu.

The eruptions of andesite volcanoes are explosively catastrophic and notoriously difficult to predict. Yet changes in shear waveforms observed after an eruption of Mount Ruapehu, New Zealand, suggest that forces generated by such volcanoes are powerful and dynamic enough to locally overprint the regional stress regime, which suggests a new method of monitoring volcanoes for future eruptions. These results show a change in shear-wave polarization with time and are interpreted as being due to a localized stress regime caused by the volcano, with a release in pressure after the eruption.

Risk of artificial dam breaching by volcaniclastic flows in Japan / Risque de rupture de barrages artificiels par des écoulements volcaniques au Japon

Abstract The risk of artificial dam failure associated with volcaniclastic flows has been investigated. Hazardous volcanoes with a high possibility of imminent eruptions can be distinguished from other volcanoes by detailed studies of the last 10,000-year-eraption histories of the volcanoes in Japan. Most andesitic volcanoes in Japan have erupted periodically, once in 100 to 3000 years on average, and have sometimes generated volcaniclastic flows (pyroclastic flows, debris avalanches and debris flows) which have affected river channels. Many artificial dams have been constructed close to the hazardous volcanoes of Japan. The author has identified 17 danger zones with a high probability of occurrence of high magnitude floods related to artificial dam failure. Five of these danger zones are described in this paper. The most dangerous area extends across the lower Nobi alluvial plain, which concentrates a population of 2 million people. In the event of the Ontake volcano producing a large-scale pyroclastic flow or debris avalanche resulting in the failures of 18 artificial dams along the Kiso river, a torrential flood flow is predicted to cover the alluvial plain almost entirely, causing 10" to 105 human casualties in the process. The Yamba dam (with a capacity of 108-109 m3) along the Agatsuma river will be completed in 2006. The active Asama and Kusatsu-Shirane volcanoes are located in the headwater region of the drainage basin. Ten million people in Tokyo and the surrounding area live in the lower alluvial plain. Methods for monitoring community needs and perceptions, and research schemes for disaster prevention related to artificial dam failure should be urgently implemented.

Reexamination of moment tensors for initial motion of explosion earthquakes using borehole seismograms at Sakurajima volcano, Japan

We estimated the seismic moment tensor for the initial phase of explosion earthquakes associated with Vulcanian explosions at the andesitic volcano Sakurajima. We applied a waveform inversion method to 24 events observed with borehole seismometers at 6 stations assuming a single triangular source time function. The three diagonal components representing volumetric change were dominant in the estimated moment tensors. The three diagonal components were positive and had almost the same values with the difference among them less than 10% for most of the explosion earthquakes, while non-diagonal components were negligibly small compared with the diagonal ones. Durations of source time functions had a range of 0.2–0.5 s and seismic moments were 1011 ∼ 1012 Nm. We conclude that the explosion earthquakes are initiated by an isotropic expansion.

Wave properties and focal mechanisms of N-type earthquakes at Asama volcano

N-type earthquakes sometimes occur before the eruption of andesitic volcanoes, but their source mechanism has not been understood well. Their waveforms have stationary periods and decay slowly resembling to damped oscillation. They have common characteristics of spectra among the different stations; these spectral peaks appear at almost equal intervals of 1.0 Hz with common sharpness. We made detailed analysis on the N-type earthquakes observed at Asama volcano in July 1995. During 10 days activity, the duration of each earthquake increased gradually from 40 s to 3 min, while the peak frequency decreased from 2.7 to 0.8 Hz. Hypocenters are distributed slightly west under the summit crater with 0.4–1.7 km above sea-level. Source mechanism of the N-type earthquake is determined using a waveform inversion technique. Synthetic waveforms are calculated using 2D finite difference method. Surface topography is included in the calculation to incorporate the case that the source region is higher than the stations. Since the optimum solution has a large volumetric component, we approximated the volumetric part as a volume change of fluid filled sphere or cylinder or plane crack, and decomposed the solution into volumetric and non-volumetric part. Consequently, it is revealed that the optimum solution can be expressed as “crack expansion (contraction)+small fault slip”, because the spectral peak distribution advocates the crack expansion model among these three candidates. The frequency change during this activity may be explained by the time variation of the sound speed of inner fluid from 300 to 100 m/s. The change of the void fraction of water–steam phase might have caused the decrease of the sound speed.

Helium and carbon isotope systematics of natural gases from Taranaki Basin, New Zealand

The chemical and isotopic compositions of gases from hydrocarbon systems of the Taranaki Basin of New Zealand (both offshore and onshore) show wide variation. The most striking difference between the western and south-eastern groups of gases is the helium content and its isotopic ratio. In the west, the Maui gas is over an order of magnitude higher in helium concentration (up to 190 μmol mol−1) and its 3He/4He ratio of 3.8 RA (where RA=the air 3He/4He ratio of 1.4×10−6) is approximately half that of upper mantle helium issuing from volcanic vents of the Taupo Volcanic Zone. In the SE, the Kupe South and most Kapuni natural gases have only a minor mantle helium input of 0.03–0.32 RA and low total helium concentrations of 10–19 μmol mol−1. The 3He/C ratio (where C represents the total carbon in the gas phase) of the samples measured including those from a recent study of on-shore Taranaki natural gases are generally high at locations where the surface heat flow is high. The 3He/CO2 ratio of the Maui gases of 5 to 18×10−9 is higher than the MORB value of 0.2 to 0.5×10−9, a feature found in other continental basins such as the Pannonian and Vienna basins and in many high helium wells in the USA. Extrapolation to zero CO2/3He and CO2/C indicates δ13C(CO2) values between −7 and −5‰ close to that of MORB CO2. The remaining CO2 would appear to be mostly organically-influenced with δ13C(CO2) c.−15‰. There is some evidence of marine carbonate CO2 in the gases from the New Plymouth field. The radiogenic 4He content (Herad) varies across the Taranaki Basin with the highest Herad/C ratios occurring in the Maui field. δ13C(CH4) becomes more enriched in 13C with increasing Herad and hydrocarbon maturity. Because 3He/4He is related to the ratio of mantle to radiogenic crustal helium and 3He/C is virtually constant in the Maui field, there is a correlation between RC/RA (where RC=air-corrected 3He/4He) and δ13C(CH4) in the Maui and New Plymouth fields, with the more negative δ13C(CH4) values corresponding to high 3He/4He ratios. A correlation between 3He/4He and δ13C(CO2) was also observed in the Maui field. In the fields adjacent to Mt Taranaki (2518 m andesitic volcano), correlations of some parameters, particularly CO2/CH4, C2H6/CH4 and δ13C(CH4), are present with increasing depth of the gas reservoir and with distance from the volcanic cone.