Shogo Komori

Hydrothermal system in the Tatun Volcano Group, northern Taiwan, inferred from crustal resistivity structure by audio-magnetotellurics

The present study proposes an improved conceptual model for the hydrothermal system in the Tatun Volcano Group in northern Taiwan. In the study, audio-magnetotellurics (AMT) surveys were conducted to reveal the spatial distribution of resistivity, which is highly sensitive to fluids and hydrothermal alteration. By combining the obtained resistivity structure with other geophysical and geochemical evidence, the following hydrothermal system was inferred. Beneath Chishinshan, vapor-dominant hydrothermal fluids, supplied from a deeper part, are maintained in a low to relatively low resistivity region (5 to 20 Ω m) that is covered by a clay-rich cap, represented by an upper extremely low resistivity layer. Fluid ascent is suggested by a pressure source and clustered seismicity. Exsolved gases result in fumarolic areas, such as Siao-you-keng, while mixing of gases with shallow groundwater forms a shallow flow system of hydrothermal fluids in the Matsao area, represented by a region of less than 10 Ω m. The fumarole in the Da-you-keng area originates from vapor-dominant hydrothermal fluids that may be supplied from a deeper part beneath Cing-tian-gang, suggested by a pressure source and low to relatively low resistivity. Horizontally extended vapor-bearing regions also suggest the possibility of future phreatic eruptions. The proposed conceptual model may provide clues to detecting precursors of potential volcanic activity.

Two-dimensional resistivity structure of Unzen Volcano revealed by AMT and MT surveys

AMT and MT surveys were conducted to investigate at high resolution the spatial resistivity structure of Unzen volcano, with consideration given to understanding its regional dimensionality. Our phase tensor analysis supports the conclusion that the resistivity structure is two-dimensional, with the strike in the E-W direction. Two-dimensional inversions suggest that Unzen volcano is likely to comprise 4 layers: a high resistivity surface (greater than 1000 Ω m), an intermediate second layer (20 to several hundreds of Ωm), a low resistivity third layer (less than 20 Ω m), and a relatively high resistivity basement. We assume the upper-most high resistivity layer consists of undersaturated lava and pyroclastic flow deposits. The second and third layers are likely to be water-saturated and form an aquifer that seems to correlate well with the emergence of groundwater discharge at the surface. In deeper areas beneath the summit, a region with a resistivity of 20–80 Ω m is surrounded by areas of extremely low resistivity (less than 3 Ω m); this structural features in Unzen volcano was first identified in this study, but is typical of the resistivity structure observed in active volcanoes. Interpreting the results of well logs and geodetic studies of Unzen volcano in light of the findings of the present study and the resistivity structure of other active volcanoes, we suggest that Unzen volcano possesses a hydrothermal system of high-temperature fluids beneath its edifice; this hydrothermal system may play a non-negligible role in controlling heat and mass transfer in the magmatic system of Unzen volcano.

Resistivity characterisation of Hakone volcano, Central Japan, by three-dimensional magnetotelluric inversion

On 29 June 2015, a small phreatic eruption occurred at Hakone volcano, Central Japan, forming several vents in the Owakudani geothermal area on the northern slope of the central cones. Intense earthquake swarm activity and geodetic signals corresponding to the 2015 eruption were also observed within the Hakone caldera. To complement these observations and to characterise the shallow resistivity structure of Hakone caldera, we carried out a three-dimensional inversion of magnetotelluric measurement data acquired at 64 sites across the region. We utilised an unstructured tetrahedral mesh for the inversion code of the edge-based finite element method to account for the steep topography of the region during the inversion process. The main features of the best-fit three-dimensional model are a bell-shaped conductor, the bottom of which shows good agreement with the upper limit of seismicity, beneath the central cones and the Owakudani geothermal area, and several buried bowl-shaped conductive zones beneath the Gora and Kojiri areas. We infer that the main bell-shaped conductor represents a hydrothermally altered zone that acts as a cap or seal to resist the upwelling of volcanic fluids. Enhanced volcanic activity may cause volcanic fluids to pass through the resistive body surrounded by the altered zone and thus promote brittle failure within the resistive body. The overlapping locations of the bowl-shaped conductors, the buried caldera structures and the presence of sodium-chloride-rich hot springs indicate that the conductors represent porous media saturated by high-salinity hot spring waters. The linear clusters of earthquake swarms beneath the Kojiri area may indicate several weak zones that formed due to these structural contrasts.