Unzen Volcano: International Cooperative
Research with Scientific Drilling for Understanding Eruption
Mechanisms and Magmatic Activity (MEXT-USDP)
Outline
of Research and Objects
Illustration
showing outline of drilling
First
phase
Clarification of
the volcanic history and structure by flank-drilling
Second
phase
Clarification of eruption
mechanisms by conduit drilling
- Evaluation of eruption models by examining
conduit structure and texture of conduit lava
- Investigation of mechanisms for crustal
deformation and volcanic tremor episodes around 1500
m-depth
- Re-analysis of data obtained during
eruption by detailed and exact geophysical information on the
distribution of groundwater and the subsurface structure
History of
USDP
- 1990 Unzen eruption began after dormancy
of about 200 years
- 1991 Disaster from pyroclastic flows
began.
- 1991 The United Nation nominated Unzen as
a Decade Volcano
- 1995 End of eruption
- 1996 S. Nakada and J. Eichelberger
sumbitted pre-proposal of Conduit Drilling Project to
International Continental Scinentific Drilling Program (ICDP), and
the pre-proposal was evaluated by ICDP.
- 1997 International workshop (Decade
Volcano and Scientific Drilling) was held at Shimabara, sponsored
by ICDP, ERI (Univ. Tokyo), and NCVCEI (Science Council of Japan),
and supported by the City of Shimabara and Volcanological Society
of Japan.
- 1997 Geological Survey of Japan submitted
the proposal of the Unzen Comprehensive Research Project to STA
(former of a part of Minsitry of Education, Culture, Science,
Sports and Technology, MEXT), as the leading institute.
- 1998 F/S research of STA Unzen
Comprehensive Research Project started.
- 1998 Japan joined ICDP.
- 1998 GSJ submitted again the proposal of
the Unzen Project to STA.
- 1999 USDP started as a STA Project.
- USDP-1 in 1999
- The pre-proposal for drilling technical
workshop was submitted to ICDP (evaluated).
- USDP-2 in 2000 (ended in 2001)
- International Drilling Technical Workshop
(the Unzen scientific international drilling workshop) was held in
Shimabara in October 2000
- The full proposal was submitted to ICDP in
January 2001 (evaluated)
- USDP-3 in 2001
- International Symposium (Unzen Workshop
2002) was held in Shimabara in January 2002
- The second phase of USDP started in April
2002, getting high evaluation of the first phase results by the
government committee.
