Origin of transient self-potential signals associated with very long period seismic pulses observed during the 2000 activity of Miyakejima volcano

Abstract:

Origin of the previously reported transient geoelectrical (self-potential, SP) signals in the Miyakejima 2000 activity, that repeatedly occurred concurrently with very long period (VLP) seismic pulses, was investigated. SP waveforms stacked across repeated VLP events showed a step-like rise followed by a gradual decay at all stations spread over the island of 8 km diameter. Within a realistic range of hydrological diffusivity, the short time constants of the SP signals cannot be explained by the electrokinetic effect caused by fluid flow within a limited volume, proposed earlier as a fluid injection hypothesis. On the other hand, poroelasticity predicts an island-wide distributed flow field to occur almost instantaneously upon VLP events due to the step of strain field imposed by the mechanical event. We propose that the observed SP signals resulted from the streaming current by this island-wide flow field. Our quantitative model, assuming a vertical tensile crack as a mechanical source, which has been suggested by preceding seismic studies, can explain the time constants and the amplitude of the SP signals (both spatial pattern and absolute amplitude), within a reasonable range of rock properties and the scalar moment of the mechanical source (VLP event). Location and attitude of the mechanical source were well constrained by grid search and are consistent with those estimated earlier from other types of data.