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Combined electromagnetic, geochemical and thermal surveys of Taal volcano (Philippines) during the period 2005–2006

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Abstract

Since 1572, 33 phreatic to phreatomagmatic eruptions have occurred on Taal volcano (Philippines), some of them causing several hundred casualties. Considering the time delay between two consecutive eruptions, there is an 88% probability that Taal volcano should have already erupted. Since 1992, several phases of seismic activity have been recorded accompanied by ground deformation, opening of fissures, and surface activity. The volcanic activity of Taal appears to be controlled by dike injections and magma supply, buffered by a hydrothermal system that releases fluids and heat through boiling and subsequent steaming. In early 2005, a multidisciplinary project was launched for studying the hydrothermal activity. To map the hydrothermal system, combined surveys were carried out to investigate self-potential, total magnetic field, ground temperature and carbon dioxide soil degassing, along with satellite thermal imaging of the Main Crater Lake. The elevated temperatures and high concentrations of carbon dioxide, as well as electromagnetic anomalies, indicate large-scale hydrothermal degassing. This process is enhanced along the tectonic features (e.g., crater rim and faults) of the volcano, while active fissures opened along the E–W northern flank during the 1992–1994 seismic activity. Heat and fluids from the hydrothermal system are essentially released in the northern part of the crater, which is bounded to the South by a suspected NW–SE fault along which seismicity seems to take place, and dikes are thought to be intruded. During the January 2005 surveys, a new seismic crisis started, and the felt earthquakes prompted spontaneous evacuation of hundreds of inhabitants living on the volcano. Repeated surveys show changes of self-potential, total magnetic field, and ground temperature with time, without any noticeable spatial enlargement. These observations suggest that the northern flank located between the crater rim and the 1992–1994 fissures is connected with a deep thermal source in Main crater and is reactivated during seismic crises. This sector could be subjected to flank failure.

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Acknowledgements

This work was primarily supported by ElectroMagnetic studies of Earthquakes and Volcanoes Inter-association working group (EMSEV) with the financial support of the International Union of Geophysics and Geodesy (IUGG) and its associations (IAGA-IASPEI-IAVCEI). We greatly thank Dr Renato Solidium Jr., Director of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS), and Prof. Seiya Uyeda, Chair of EMSEV, for the setting up of a long-term cooperation agreement in Electromagnetic research. We are also greatly indebted to Dr. Bartolome Bautista and the EM PHIVOLCS team, P.D. Reniva, C.S. Saquilon, Paul K.B. Alanis, Melchor P. Lasala, I.C. Narag, and R.P.R. Maximo as well as the seismologic group for their very efficient help in the field organization and during the campaign. Research on Taal, considered as a high-risk volcano, is supported by the Demeter 2006 program, run by CNES, (National French Spatial Agency) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (French Embassy, Manila). We are very grateful to Pr Delmelle for his useful comments. Prof R.B. Trombley of the International Volcano Research Centre (INTLVRC, http://www.intlvrc.org/) helped us in the editorial work.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. CNRS, UMR6524, UMS 833-UBP Observatoire de Physique du Globe de Clermont-Ferrand, 24 avenue des landais, 63177, Aubière Cedex, France

    J. Zlotnicki

  2. Disaster Prevention Division, Tokyo Metropolitan Government, Nishi-Shinjuku, 2-8-1, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, 163-8001, Japan

    Y. Sasai

  3. Laboratoire des Mécanismes de Transfert en Géologie, UMR5563, Observatoire Midi-Pyrénées, 14 avenue Edouard Belin, 31400, Toulouse, France

    J. P. Toutain

  4. Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology, CP Garcia avenue, U.P. Campus, Diliman, Quezon City, Philippines

    E. U. Villacorte, Julio P. Sabit, Juan M. Gordon Jr, Ernesto G. Corpuz & J. T. Punongbayan

  5. Laboratoire de Géochimie et Minéralogie Appliquée, Université Libre de Bruxelles, CP160/02, avenue FD Roosevelt 50, 1050, Brussels, Belgium

    A. Bernard

  6. Centre for Frontier Electronics and Photonics, Chiba University, 1-33 Yayoi-cho, Inage-ku, Chiba, 263-8522, Japan

    M. Harada

  7. Geological Survey of Japan, AIST, Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8567, Japan

    H. Hase

  8. Earthquake Prediction Research Centre, Tokai University, 3-20-1, Orido, Shimizu-ku, Shizuoka, 424-8610, Japan

    T. Nagao

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  1. J. Zlotnicki
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Correspondence to J. Zlotnicki.

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Zlotnicki, J., Sasai, Y., Toutain, J.P. et al. Combined electromagnetic, geochemical and thermal surveys of Taal volcano (Philippines) during the period 2005–2006. Bull Volcanol 71, 29–47 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00445-008-0205-2

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