Magnetotelluric and temperature monitoring after the 2011 sub-Plinian eruptions of Shinmoe-dake volcano

Three sub-Plinian eruptions took place on 26–27 January 2011 at Shinmoe-dake volcano in the Kirishima volcanic group, Japan. During this event, GPS and tiltmeters detected syn-eruptive ground subsidence approximately 7 km to the WNW of the volcano. Starting in March 2011, we conducted broad-band magnetotelluric (MT) measurements at a site located 5 km NNW of the volcano, beneath which the Shinmoe-dake magma plumbing system may exist. In addition, temperature monitoring of fumaroles and hot-springs near the MT site was initiated in July 2011. Our MT data record changes in apparent resistivity of approximately ±5%, along with a ±1◦ phase change in the off-diagonal component of the impedance tensor (Zxy and Zyx ). Using 1-D inversion, we infer that these slight changes in resistivity took place at relatively shallow depths of only a few hundred meters, at the transition between a near-surface resistive layer and an underlying conductive layer. Resistivity changes observed since March 2012 are correlated with the observed temperature increases around the MT monitoring site. These observations suggest the existence beneath the MT site of pathways which enable volatile escape

Drag-out effect of piezomagnetic signals due to a borehole: the Mogi source as an example

We show that using borehole measurements in tectonomagnetic experiments allows enhancement of the observed signals. New magnetic dipoles, which vary with stress changes from mechanical sources, are produced on the walls of the borehole. We evaluate such an effect quantitatively. First we formulate a general expression for the borehole effect due to any arbitrary source models. This is valid everywhere above the ground surface as well as within the cylindrical hole. A first-order approximate solution is given by a line of horizontal dipoles and vertical quadrupoles along the central axis of the borehole, which is valid above the ground surface and a slightly away (several tens of cm) from the top of the borehole. Selecting the Mogi model as an example, we numerically evaluated the borehole effect. It turned out that the vertical quadrupoles produce two orders of magnitude more intense magnetic field than the horizontal dipoles. The borehole effect is very local, i.e. detectable only within a few m from its outlet, since it is of the same order or more than the case without a borehole. However, magnetic lines of force cannot reach the ground surface from a deeper portion (>10 m) of a borehole

Constraining the subducting slab in the 2-D inversion of MT data in Southern Tohoku, NE Japan

令和4年度 Conductivity Anomaly研究会日時：令和4年12月26日（月）09:25-18:30, 12月27日（火）09:00-16:30場所：京都大学防災研究所連携研究棟3階301号室およびZoo

Seismicity controlled by resistivity structure : the 2016 Kumamoto earthquakes, Kyushu Island, Japan

The M JMA 7.3 Kumamoto earthquake that occurred at 1:25 JST on April 16, 2016, not only triggered aftershocks in the vicinity of the epicenter, but also triggered earthquakes that were 50–100 km away from the epicenter of the main shock. The active seismicity can be divided into three regions: (1) the vicinity of the main faults, (2) the northern region of Aso volcano (50 km northeast of the mainshock epicenter), and (3) the regions around three volcanoes, Yufu, Tsurumi, and Garan (100 km northeast of the mainshock epicenter). Notably, the zones between these regions are distinctively seismically inactive. The electric resistivity structure estimated from one-dimensional analysis of the 247 broadband (0.005–3000 s) magnetotelluric and telluric observation sites clearly shows that the earthquakes occurred in resistive regions adjacent to conductive zones or resistive-conductive transition zones. In contrast, seismicity is quite low in electrically conductive zones, which are interpreted as regions of connected fluids. We suggest that the series of the earthquakes was induced by a local accumulated stress and/or fluid supply from conductive zones. Because the relationship between the earthquakes and the resistivity structure is consistent with previous studies, seismic hazard assessment generally can be improved by taking into account the resistivity structure. Following on from the 2016 Kumamoto earthquake series, we suggest that there are two zones that have a relatively high potential of earthquake generation along the western extension of the MTL