Vault-housed extensometers recorded a rapid initial pulse before precursory magma reservoir inflation related to the 2011 eruption of Shinmoe-dake, Japan

Abstract

Previous studies of the major eruption at Shinmoe-dake volcano, Japan, in January 2011 suggested that gradual injection of magma from a deep source into a shallow reservoir began in December 2009 and led to the major eruption. To investigate the initial phase of this injection event, we examined extensometer data from the Isa Observatory, ~ 18.5 km from the summit of Shinmoe-dake, and discovered a strain change event that spanned about 3 days in December 2009. The size of the strain change is comparable to those observed during each sub-Plinian eruption in 2011. The source of the rapid strain change appears to be deeper than the estimated location of the magma reservoir that directly supplied magma to the 2011 eruption sequence. These observations suggest that rapid injection of magma from the deep magmatic plumbing system in December 2009 triggered the continuous ascent of additional magma from depth, which in turn drove the climactic eruptions in January 2011. Extensometers also recorded two rapid strain change events of the same order of magnitude and with similar characteristics in December 2006 and August 2008; however, noticeable inflation of the edifice was not detected immediately following either event. This suggests that transient injection of magma into a shallow reservoir is not always followed immediately by a gradual recharge process.