The first crater of Nakadake, peak of Aso volcano, Japan, contains a hot water lake that shows interesting variations in water level and temperature. These variations were discovered by precise, continuous observations of the lake independent of precipitation. We developed a numerical model of a hot crater lake and compared with observational data for the period from July 2006 to January 2009. The numerical model revealed seasonal changes in mass flux (75-132 kg/s) and enthalpy (1,840-3,030 kJ/kg) for the fluid supplied to the lake. The relation between the enthalpy and mass flux indicates that the bottom input fluid is a mixture of high-and lowtemperature fluids. Assuming a mixture of hightemperature steam at 800°C and liquid water at 100°C, we evaluated the liquid and steam fluxes. The liquid water flux shows a seasonal increase lagging behind the rainy season by 2 months, suggesting that the liquid water is predominantly groundwater. The fluctuation pattern in the flux of the high-temperature steam shows a relation with the amplitude of volcanic tremor, suggesting that heating of the hydrothermal system drives the tremor. Consequently, precise observations of a hot crater lake represent a potential method of monitoring volcanic hydrothermal systems in the shallow parts of the volcanoes.
S U M M A R YAsama Volcano is an andesitic composite volcano and one of the most active volcanoes in Japan. In order to reveal electrical resistivity structure beneath the volcano accurately, we performed a 3-D inversion of dense magnetotelluric survey data. In order to prevent misinterpretation of the subsurface resistivity due to the steep topography around Asama Volcano, we used an unstructured tetrahedral mesh to represent the topography. Furthermore, we reduced the calculation time by transforming the inverse problem from the model space into the data space. Comparison of the new data-space method to the original model-space method showed that the calculation time required to update the model parameters was reduced as a result of the transformation, whereas the resistivity structure obtained remained unchanged. In the subsurface resistivity structure around Asama Volcano that was estimated from the inversion, resistive bodies were discovered to be located under the old eruption centres. In particular, under the 24 ka collapse caldera to the west of the presently active crater, a spherical resistive body was found to exist in isolation. In addition, there was a widespread conductive layer below the resistive surface layer. By comparison with previous hydrological and geochemical studies, the conductive layer was interpreted as being a high-water-content layer and an overlying layer rich in altered clay minerals. Because the western part of the volcanic conduit was considered to be the resistive area, which is inferred to consist of unfractured rocks with lower permeability than their surroundings, it would appear that the area obstructs the westward flow of the hydrothermal fluid beneath the summit, thereby contributing to higher concentrations of SO 4 2− and Cl − in the spring water at the northern and eastern feet as well as the uneven location of a diffuse CO 2 anomaly.
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