title: Radiographic visualization of magma dynamics in an erupting volcano.
abstract: Radiographic imaging of magma dynamics in a volcanic conduit provides detailed information about ascent and descent of magma, the magma flow rate, the conduit diameter and inflation and deflation of magma due to volatile expansion and release. Here we report the first radiographic observation of the ascent and descent of magma along a conduit utilizing atmospheric (cosmic ray) muons (muography) with dynamic radiographic imaging. Time sequential radiographic images show that the top of the magma column ascends right beneath the crater floor through which the eruption column was observed. In addition to the visualization of this magma inflation, we report a sequence of images that show magma descending. We further propose that the monitoring of temporal variations in the gas volume fraction of magma as well as its position in a conduit can be used to support existing eruption prediction procedures.
authors.affiliation: Earthquake Research Institute, The University of Tokyo, 1-1-1 Yayoi, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0032, Japan.
authors.forename: Hiroyuki K M
authors.initials: HK
authors.lastname: Tanaka
authors.affiliation: Earthquake Research Institute, The University of Tokyo, 1-1-1 Yayoi, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0032, Japan.
authors.forename: Taro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kusagaya
authors.affiliation: National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Umezono 1-1-1, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8568, Japan.
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Shinohara
mesh_terms: D001272:Atmosphere / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry; D004391:Dust / Q000032:analysis*; D005740:Gases / Q000032:analysis*; D005844:Geology; D006358:Hot Temperature; D007564:Japan; D007700:Kinetics; D011859:Radiography / Q000379:methods*; D013997:Time Factors; D018707:Volcanic Eruptions
chemical_list: D004391:Dust; D005740:Gases