Crustal deformation of Iwojima volcano in Japan detected by SAR interferometry
Abstract
Iwojima volcano is one of the most active volcanoes in Japan. Large-scale crustal deformation is ongoing in the island. It is suggested that the island was uplifted about 40m during the recent 200 years (Kaizuka et al., 1985). The crustal deformations are believed to be of volcanic origin and are outstanding in terms of the magnitude and the complexity. It is important to understand the 3-dimensional evolution of the deformation field with time to understand the behavior of the volcanic sources. Although there are 2 permanent GPS sites in the island, they are not sufficient to monitor the extremely complex spatial and temporal patterns of the deformation. We here use JERS-1 SAR data to map the detailed surface displacement field associated with volcanic activity of the island. We processed up to 20 different pairs spanning 1992 to 1998. It is revealed that the rate of surface deformation was not constant but episodic. We also find that the displacements seem to consist of three different subsets of deformation pattern; i.e., Motoyama (north east of Iwojima), Chidorigahara (near an old crater), and Suribachi-yama mountain (south of Iwojima). The spatial pattern of the first subset is simpler than the others and explainable as an inflation and deflation of a spherical point-source. Source depth inferred from the pattern is smaller than 2 km. However, the rate of volume change is not constant and sometimes even changes the polarity, which suggests the complexity of the volcanic source structure and mechanism.
- Publication:
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AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- December 2002
- Bibcode:
- 2002AGUFM.G61B0986Y
- Keywords:
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- 1208 Crustal movements: intraplate (8110);
- 1243 Space geodetic surveys;
- 8499 General or miscellaneous