Observing Posteruptive Deflation of Hydrothermal System Using InSAR Time Series Analysis: An Application of ALOS-2/PALSAR-2 Data on the 2015 Phreatic Eruption of Hakone Volcano, Japan

From June 29 to July 1, 2015, a phreatic eruption occurred in Owakudani, the largest fumarole area in Hakone volcano, Japan. In this study, an interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) time series analysis of the Advanced Land Observing Satellite-2 (ALOS-2)/Phased Array type L-band Synthetic Aperture Radar-2 (PALSAR-2) data was performed to measure deformation after the eruption. The results show that the central cones of the volcano have subsided since the eruption and its deflation source is located beneath the previously estimated bell-shaped conductor, which is considered as a sealing layer confining a pressurized hydrothermal reservoir. Therefore, the InSAR results demonstrate the deflation of the hydrothermal system beneath the volcano. One possible cause of this deflation is compaction due to a decrease in pore pressure caused by rupture and fluid migration during and after the eruption.

Automated summary

A study using satellite data analyzed the deformation of Owakudani after a phreatic eruption, finding that the central cones of the volcano have subsided, possibly due to compaction caused by a decrease in pore pressure from rupture and fluid migration.