Recent volcanic activity at the Asama volcano and long-period seismic signals

Abstract

Modern observation systems composed of seismic, geodetic, other geophysical, and geochemical networks developed in and around volcanic areas provide a mass of knowledge about volcanic activities. This paper summarizes the magma pathway and recent volcanic activity of the Asama volcano. The seismic velocity structure beneath the Asama volcano was investigated via seismic ambient noise tomography and active source seismic tomography. The magma pathway in the upper crust beneath the Asama volcano was synthesized by combining the velocity structure with a hypocenter distribution of volcanic earthquakes and ground deformations before and after eruptions. Temporal evolutions of multidiscipline data regarding the volcanic activity from October 2003 to January 2018 revealed that the supplied amount of magma from the magma chamber and the internal condition in the shallow regions of the conduit controlled the recent eruptions.