降下火砕堆積物層序に基づく浅間前掛火山の大規模噴火の高分解能履歴復元

抄録

The Asama-Maekake volcano has been active during the last 10,000 years. Large-scale eruptions that occurred in the 18^th and 12^th centuries have been well studied, whereas little information is available for older eruptions. In this paper, we aim to reconstruct the history of this volcano in detail through a combination of extensive geological survey and ¹⁴C dating. The observation and description of twenty-one trench excavations, two drilling core samples, and many outcrops enabled us to build a stratigraphy of the eruptive products in much greater detail than ever before. The trench excavation sites cover an area of nearly 180 degrees around the volcano. These sites were selected mainly in the medial area at distances between 5 and 10 km from the summit crater. Many older deposits buried by thick younger deposits were found. The pyroclastic fall deposits of this volcano vary from a thick pumice layer to pumice grains scattered in the black soil, indicating a variation in the scale of sub-plinian eruptions. More than 120 samples for ¹⁴C dating were taken from the black soil immediately beneath the pyroclastic fall deposits. Some charcoals contained in the pyroclastic flow deposits were also subjected to dating. The ¹⁴C dating results were used for the correlation of deposits of different localities and distributions of some pyroclastic fall deposits older than 2000 years were revealed. The qualitative evaluation of the number and scale of eruptions throughout history might be possible using these data. Four classes of eruptive scales are recognized in the pyroclastic fall deposits in this study. Class 1: Defined by the isopach line for 128 cm thickness being able to be drawn on the map and the area enclosed by the 64 cm isopach line being more than 25 km². The deposits are recognized at distant locations more than 50 km from the summit crater. Class 2: Defined by that the isopach line for 64 cm thickness being able to be drawn on the map and the area enclosed by the 16 cm isopach line being more than 15 km². Class 3: The deposit of this class is recognized as a distinct layer that continues horizontally at each locality. In most cases, the observed thickness is less than several tens of centimeters and generally no structure can be observed. Class 4: This class comprises scattered pumice grains in the soil, for which the measurement of thickness is impossible. The deposits of classes 3 and 4 are seldom found at distances farther than 15 km from the crater. Most of the pyroclastic fall deposits of the period between 9400 and 3100 cal BP are of Classes 3 and 4. On the other hand, a large-scale eruption (Class 1) occurred about 2000 years ago, generating pyroclastic fall deposits in distant areas of more than 50 km from the crater. The recurrence interval of large-scale eruptions during the last 2000 years is estimated to be about 700 years. This is less frequent than in the period prior to 2000 years ago. Therefore, a change in eruption mode occurred about 2000 years ago when eruptions became infrequent but large in scale.