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Japan's Kikai Supervolcano is Refilling with Magma, Study Finds
Researchers used seismic imaging and chemical analysis to confirm fresh magma injection refilling the Kikai Caldera reservoir, improving understanding of supervolcano recharge cycles.
- Researchers at Kobe University discovered that Japan's Kikai Caldera Volcano is actively refilling its magma reservoir, nearly 7,300 years after its last catastrophic eruption.
- Chemical analysis shows the magma is newly injected rather than leftover material from the ancient eruption, with a new lava dome forming at the caldera's center over the last 3,900 years.
- Using airgun arrays and ocean-bottom seismometers, scientists mapped the reservoir's size and shape, discovering it sits at depths between 2.5 and 6 kilometers beneath the seafloor.
- This re-injection model aligns with evidence of large, shallow magma systems beneath other giant calderas, including Yellowstone National Park in the United States and Toba in Indonesia.
- Kobe University geophysicist Nobukazu Seama noted that refining monitoring methods is essential for understanding magma supply cycles and better predicting future giant eruptions.
14 Articles
14 Articles
Massive Volcano in Japan Refilling With Magma After 7,300 Years
Kikai caldera. Credit: Fumihiko Ikegami / Flickr / CC BY-NC 2.0 Scientists have found that a massive volcano in Japan is refilling with magma 7,300 years after its last eruption, offering new insight into how some of the world’s most powerful volcanoes evolve. The findings, led by researchers at Kobe University, focus on the Kikai caldera and may help scientists better understand similar systems such as the Yellowstone Caldera and Toba Caldera. …
Melt re-injection into large magma reservoir after giant caldera eruption at Kikai Caldera Volcano - Communications Earth & Environment
Melt re-injection after a giant caldera eruption was quantitatively investigated for the Kikai Caldera Volcano in Japan, which erupted 7300 years ago (Kikai-Akahoya eruption). Our seismic refraction survey revealed a low-velocity anomaly directly beneath the Kikai Caldera Volcano, indicating the existence of a large magma reservoir at a shallow depth of 2.5–6 km. The reservoir can be approximated by a trapezoidal shape in this 2D section, with i…
How do giant caldera volcanoes fill up?
The magma reservoir of the largest volcano eruption of the Holocene is refilling. This Kobe University insight on the Kikai caldera in Japan allows us to understand giant caldera volcanoes like Yellowstone or Toba more generally and gets us closer to predicting their behavior, too.
This Supervolcano Is Refilling With Magma After 7,300 Years
A supervolcano that once shook the Earth is quietly recharging—and scientists are finally seeing how it happens. Scientists have found that the magma reservoir linked to the largest volcanic eruption of the Holocene is filling again. The discovery, led by Kobe University researchers studying Japan’s Kikai caldera, offers new insight into how massive caldera systems [...]
Kikai's supervolcano, submerged off southern Japan, is recharging with fresh magma
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