Skip to main content
Earth, Planets and Space
Download PDF
  • Article
  • Published:

Absolute gravity change associated with the March 1997 earthquake swarm in the Izu Peninsula, Japan

Earth, Planets and Space volume 51, pages 3–12 (1999)Cite this article

Abstract

We carried out both absolute and relative gravity measurements in the Izu Peninsula just before and after the March 1997 earthquake swarm occurred. The measurements revealed significant absolute gravity changes, which we find to be made of three spatial components. The first one is located near Cape Kawana, and would be associated with the volcanic activity that caused the earthquake swarm. The second one would be associated with shallow and localized magma intrusion just beneath Ito. The third one may be due to a change in the deep region beneath the Kita-Izu fault system, which is considered to be a major tectonic line of this region. The gravity changes can be used to detect underground mass movement. For this purpose, we first use crustal movement observations to construct an elastic dislocation model with two tensile faults and a left lateral fault. Then we use the gravity changes to constrain the density of the material which filled the tensile faults. We find that the density is likely to be small, and that the gravity changes of the first component are reproduced well by the fault model. The smallness of the density implies that highly vesiculated magma or water would have injected into the faults.

References

  • Aramaki, S. and K. Hamuro, Geology of the Higashi-Izu monogenetic volcano group, Bull. Earthquake Res. Inst. Univ. Tokyo, 52, 235–278, 1977 (in Japanese with English abstract).

    Google Scholar 

  • Becker, M., E. Groten, A. Lambert, J. O. Liard, and S. Nakai, An intercomparison of LaCoste and Romberg Model-D gravimeters: results of the International D-meter Campaign, 1983, Geophys. J. R. astr. Soc., 89, 499–526, 1987.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Earthquake Research Institute, Seismic activities in the Izu Peninsula and its vicinity (February, 1997-April, 1997), Report of the Coordinating Committee for Earthquake Prediction, 58, 239–249, 1997 (in Japanese).

  • Geographical Survey Institute, Crustal movements in the Izu peninsula and its vicinity, Report of the Coordinating Committee for Earthquake Prediction, 58, 290–311, 1997 (in Japanese).

    Google Scholar 

  • Hagiwara, Y., H. Tajima, S. Izutsuya, K. Nagasawa, I. Murata, S. Okubo, and T. Endo, Gravity change in the Izu Peninsula in the last decade, J. Geod. Soc. Japan, 31, 220–235, 1985 (in Japanese with English abstract).

    Google Scholar 

  • Hori, S., Recent swarm activity around the Izu peninsula, Report of the National Research Center for Disaster Prevention, 43, 127–167, 1989 (in Japanese with English abstract).

    Google Scholar 

  • Imamura Laboratory and Seismological Laboratory, On the Ito earthquake (part 2), Zisin, 2, 281–300, 1930 (in Japanese).

    Google Scholar 

  • Ishimoto, M. and R. Takahashi, Séismes d’Ito et l’observation sur les variations de l’inclinaison de la surface terrestre, Bull. Earthquake Res. Inst. Tokyo Imperial Univ., 8, 427–458, 1930 (in Japanese with French abstract).

    Google Scholar 

  • Japan Meteorological Agency, Seismic activity in and around the Izu Peninsula (November, 1996-April, 1997), Report of the Coordinating Committee for Earthquake Prediction, 58, 229–238, 1997 (in Japanese).

    Google Scholar 

  • Koyama, M., Volcanos and tectonics of the Izu Peninsula, Kagaku, 63, 312–321, 1993 (in Japanese).

    Google Scholar 

  • Koyama, M. and S. Umino, Why does the Higashi-Izu monogenetic volcano group exist in the Izu Peninsula?: Relationships between late Quaternary volcanism and tectonics in the northern tip of the Izu-Bonin arc, J. Phys. Earth, 39, 391–420, 1991.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Koyama, M., Y. Hayakawa, and F. Arai, Eruptive history of the Higashi-Izu monogenetic volcano field 2: mainly on volcanoes older than 32,000 years ago, Bull. Volcan. Soc. Japan, 40, 191–209, 1995 (in Japanese with English abstract).

    Google Scholar 

  • Kuno, H., Geology and petrology of Omuroyama volcano group, North Izu, J. Fac. Sci. Univ. Tokyo, Sect. 2, 9, 241–265, 1954.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mogi, K., Irreversible change in the recent crustal activity of the western part of Izu Peninsula, Chikyuu Monthly, 13, 55–62, 1991 (in Japanese).

    Google Scholar 

  • Nakamura, K., K. Shimazaki, and N. Yonekura, Subduction, bending, and eduction. Present and Quaternary tectonics of the northern border of the Philippine Sea plate, Bull. Soc. Geol. France, 26, 221–243, 1984.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nasu, N., Observation of the Ito earthquake, Zisin, 2, 301–306, 1930 (in Japanese).

    Google Scholar 

  • Nasu, N., Recent seismic activities in the Idu Peninsula, Bull. Earthquake Res. Inst. Tokyo Imperial Univ., 13, 400–416, 1935.

    Google Scholar 

  • Niebauer, T. M., G. Sasagawa, J. E. Faller, R. Hilt, and F. J. Klopping, A new generation of absolute gravimeters, Metrologia, 32, 159–180, 1995.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Okada, Y., Surface deformation due to shear and tensile faults in a half-space, Bull. Seism. Soc. Amer., 75, 1135–1154, 1985.

    Google Scholar 

  • Okada, Y. and E. Yamamoto, A model for the 1989 seismo-volcanic activity off Ito, central Japan, derived from crustal movement data, J. Phys. Earth, 39, 177–195, 1991a.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Okada, Y. and E. Yamamoto, Dyke intrusion model for the 1989 seismovolcanic activity off Ito, central Japan, J. Geophys. Res., 96, 10361–10376, 1991b.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Okubo, S., Potential and gravity changes raised by point dislocations, Geophys. J. Int., 105, 573–586, 1991.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Okubo, S., Potential and gravity changes due to shear and tensile faults in a half-space, J. Geophys. Res., 97, 7137–7144, 1992.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Okubo, S. and H. Watanabe, Gravity change caused by a fissure eruption, Geophys. Res. Lett., 16, 445–448, 1989.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Okubo, S., Y. Hirata, M. Sawada, and K. Nagasawa, Gravity change caused by the 1989 earthquake swarm and submarine eruption off Ito, Japan-Test on the magma intrusion hypothesis, J. Phys. Earth, 39, 219–230, 1991.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Okubo, S., S. Yoshida, T. Sato, Y. Tamura, and Y. Imanishi, Verifying the precision of a new generation absolute gravimeter FG5-Comparison with superconducting gravimeters and detection of oceanic loading tide, Geophys. Res. Lett., 24, 489–492, 1997.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tada, T. and M. Hashimoto, Anomalous crustal deformation in the north-eastern Izu Peninsula and its tectonic significance-tension crack model, J. Phys. Earth, 39, 197–218, 1991.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Torge, W., Gravimetry, 465pp., Walter de Gruyter, Berlin, 1989.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tsukahara, H. and R. Ikeda, Hydraulic fracturing stress measurements and in-situ stress field in the Kanto-Tokai area, Japan, Tectonophysics, 135, 329–345, 1987.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tsuneishi, Y., Continuous monitoring of crustal activity in east Izu Peninsula by automatic electronic distance measurement, J. Phys. Earth, 39, 131–139, 1991.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tsuneishi, Y., EDM observation on the 1997, March, Off-Ito swarm earth-quakes, Report of the Coordinating Committee for Earthquake Prediction, 58, 272–277, 1997 (in Japanese).

    Google Scholar 

  • Tsuya, H., On the geologic structure of Ito district, Idu, Bull. Earthquake Res. Inst. Tokyo Imperial Univ., 8, 409–426, 1930.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ukawa, M., Collision and fan-shaped compressional stress pattern around the Izu block at the northern edge of the Philippine Sea plate, J. Geophys. Res., 96, 713–733, 1991.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Woods, A. W., The dynamics of explosive volcanic eruptions, Rev. Geophys., 33, 495–530, 1995.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Author notes

  1. Shigeo Yoshida

    Present address: Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, School of Science, Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya, 464-8602, Japan

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Earthquake Research Institute, University of Tokyo, 1-1-1 Yayoi, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-0032, Japan

    Shigeo Yoshida, Gaku Seta & Shuhei Okubo

  2. Earth Observation Research Center, National Space Development Agency of Japan, Roppongi First BLDG 13F, 1-9-9 Roppongi, Minato-ku, Tokyo, 106-0032, Japan

    Shigeki Kobayashi

Authors
  1. Shigeo Yoshida
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Gaku Seta
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Shuhei Okubo
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Shigeki Kobayashi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Shigeo Yoshida.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Yoshida, S., Seta, G., Okubo, S. et al. Absolute gravity change associated with the March 1997 earthquake swarm in the Izu Peninsula, Japan. Earth Planet Sp 51, 3–12 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1186/BF03352203

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/BF03352203

Keywords