Monitoring eruption activity using temporal stress changes at Mount Ontake volcano

Toshiko Terakawa (), Aitaro Kato, Yoshiko Yamanaka, Yuta Maeda, Shinichiro Horikawa, Kenjiro Matsuhiro and Takashi Okuda
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Toshiko Terakawa: Earthquake and Volcano Research Center, Graduate School of Environmental Studies, Nagoya University
Aitaro Kato: Earthquake and Volcano Research Center, Graduate School of Environmental Studies, Nagoya University
Yoshiko Yamanaka: Earthquake and Volcano Research Center, Graduate School of Environmental Studies, Nagoya University
Yuta Maeda: Earthquake and Volcano Research Center, Graduate School of Environmental Studies, Nagoya University
Shinichiro Horikawa: Earthquake and Volcano Research Center, Graduate School of Environmental Studies, Nagoya University
Kenjiro Matsuhiro: Earthquake and Volcano Research Center, Graduate School of Environmental Studies, Nagoya University
Takashi Okuda: Earthquake and Volcano Research Center, Graduate School of Environmental Studies, Nagoya University

Nature Communications, 2016, vol. 7, issue 1, 1-7

Abstract: Abstract Volcanic activity is often accompanied by many small earthquakes. Earthquake focal mechanisms represent the fault orientation and slip direction, which are influenced by the stress field. Focal mechanisms of volcano-tectonic earthquakes provide information on the state of volcanoes via stresses. Here we demonstrate that quantitative evaluation of temporal stress changes beneath Mt. Ontake, Japan, using the misfit angles of focal mechanism solutions to the regional stress field, is effective for eruption monitoring. The moving average of misfit angles indicates that during the precursory period the local stress field beneath Mt. Ontake was deviated from the regional stress field, presumably by stress perturbations caused by the inflation of magmatic/hydrothermal fluids, which was removed immediately after the expulsion of volcanic ejecta. The deviation of the local stress field can be an indicator of increases in volcanic activity. The proposed method may contribute to the mitigation of volcanic hazards.

Date: 2016
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DOI: 10.1038/ncomms10797

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