Nekodake stratovolcano formed at the edge of caldera before the huge pyroclastic eruptions of Aso, Japan: petrological constraints on magma supply system

Volcanic activities prior to caldera-forming eruptions give important constraints on the magma supply system leading to catastrophic eruptions. Nekodake volcano located in the eastern end of Aso Caldera, Central Kyushu, Japan, was considered to have been active during the post-caldera period. However, the stratigraphic relations and radiometric ages suggest that the Nekodake volcano was active during the caldera forming periods, Aso-1, Aso-2, Aso-3 and Aso-4 pyroclastic flows. In the history of the activities of the Aso volcano, there are some parasitic eruptive activities between pyroclastic flows. However, the relationship between those activities and the pyroclastic flow eruptions is not clear. The purpose of this study is to clarify the petrological relation between magmas of the Nekodake volcano and those of Aso pyroclastic flows. We investigated geological features of the Nekodake volcano, and conducted whole rock chemical analysis and the petrographical description of the volcanic products of Nekodake. We classified the Nekodake volcanic products into four groups from phenocryst assemblage, and two groups from the chemical composition. We found a correlation between petrographical groups and compositional groups. For example, incompatible elements are abundant in olivine group (olivine + 2 pyroxene + plagioclases). Nekodake volcanic products and the caldera-forming products show contrasting differentiation trends on the Harker diagrams. MgO, Al2O3, and CaO contents are high and TiO2, P2O5, and Fe2O3 are low in Nekodake products compared with those in caldera-forming products. Incompatible elements of Nekodake volcanic products show characteristically lower values (K20:0. 6 wt.% - 1.5 wt.%, Rb: 14.2 - 50.0 ppm, Zr: 90.7 ppm -129.2 ppm) than those of caldera-forming products (K20: 1.2 wt.%- 5.0 wt.%, Rb: 21.2 - 165.0 ppm, Zr: 93.76 ppm -321.0 ppm). These data show that the magma reservoir of Nekodake volcano and that of the gigantic pyroclastic eruptions are petrologically unrelated, although they erupt very close in space and in time. It will be necessary to re-evaluate the relation between radiometric ages of the Nekodake volcanic products and those of gigantic pyroclastic flows.