Results of geochemical monitoring of the activity of Ebeko volcano (Kurile Islands) used for eruption prediction

Abstract

The monitoring of the state of active volcanoes, carried out using different parameters, including geochemical, is very important for studies of deep processes and geodynamics. All changes which occur within the crater before eruptions reflect the magma activation and depend on the deep structure of volcano. This paper gives the results of prolonged monitoring of Ebeko volcano, located in the contact zone between the oceanic and continental plates (the Kurile Island Arc). The geochemical method has been used as the basis for eruption prediction because the increase in the activity of the Ebeko in the period from 1963 to 1967 that ended in a phreatic eruption was not preceded by seismic preparation. Investigations carried out at Ebeko volcano give evidence that change of all the chosen geochemical parameters is a prognostic indicator of a forthcoming eruption. This change depends on the type of eruption, and the deep structure and hydrodynamic regime of the volcano.