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Review of eruptive activity at Tianchi volcano, Changbaishan, northeast China: implications for possible future eruptions

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Abstract

One of the largest explosive eruptions in the past several thousand years occurred at Tianchi volcano, also known as Changbaishan, on the China–North Korea border. This historically active polygenetic central volcano consists of three parts: a lower basaltic shield, an upper trachytic composite cone, and young comendite ash flows. The Millennium Eruption occurred between 938 and 946 ad, and was preceded by two smaller and chemically different rhyolitic pumice deposits. There has been at least one additional, small eruption in the last three centuries. From 2002 to 2005, seismicity, deformation, and the helium and hydrogen gas contents of spring waters all increased markedly, causing regional concern. We attribute this event to magma recharge or volatile exhalation or both at depth, followed by two episodes of addition of magmatic fluids into the overlying aquifer without a phreatic eruption. The estimated present magma accumulation rate is too low by itself to account for the 2002–2005 unrest. The most serious volcanic hazards are ash eruption and flows, and lahars. The available geological information and volcano monitoring data provide a baseline for comprehensive assessment of future episodes of unrest and possible eruptive activity.

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Acknowledgments

This work was partly sponsored by the Natural Science Foundation of China (41172304). Colleagues in the Earthquake Administration of Jilin Province helped with the field work. Frank Ramos shared his unpublished geochemical data. We gratefully acknowledge discussion with Jiandong Xu, Jianping Wu, Qingliang Wang, Qingfu Yang, Ke Li, and Xiaodong Pan, and review of parts of this paper by J. Biggs, J. Gottsmann, D. Hilton, B. Jicha, M. Nakagawa, F. Ramos, S. Sparks, R. Stone, and F. Wu. We thank R. Tilling, C. Newhall, and AE S. Self for their very helpful reviews that improved the manuscript substantially.

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  1. Key Laboratory of Active Tectonics and Volcano, Institute of Geology, CEA, Beijing, China

    Haiquan Wei

  2. CHVO, Earthquake Administration of Jilin Province, Jilin, China

    Guoming Liu

  3. Earth and Planetary Sciences Department, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, USA

    James Gill

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  1. Haiquan Wei
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  2. Guoming Liu
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Correspondence to Haiquan Wei.

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Wei, H., Liu, G. & Gill, J. Review of eruptive activity at Tianchi volcano, Changbaishan, northeast China: implications for possible future eruptions. Bull Volcanol 75, 706 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00445-013-0706-5

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