Vulcanian eruption processes inferred from volcanic glow analysis at Sakurajima volcano, Japan

Volcanic glow, which is often observed at active craters during nighttime, contains information on high-temperature zones deep in the crater that are hidden from view. We analyzed 90 eruption videos capturing volcanic glow before the onset of Vulcanian eruptions at the Showa crater of Sakurajima volcano (Japan), and found that they show clear temporal changes. The red (R)-value and the green-to-red ratio (GR ratio) are used to track glow intensity and temperature change, respectively. We found two types of temporal change in glow intensity: a short-term change approximately 1 s before the onset of explosions, and a long-term change 3 to 330 s before an explosion. Short-term changes were observed for 28 of 90 eruptions, and coincided with an increase in the GR ratio and with a modest precursory infrasound pressure increase. Since an increasing GR ratio means a temperature increase, we consider that the change was associated with the opening of tensile cracks on the crater floor before an explosion. However, the other 62 eruptions did not show short-term changes, suggesting that the opening of cracks is sporadic. Long-term changes were observed for 73 of 90 eruptions, the GR ratio did not exhibit a significant increase. We suggest that long-term changes are caused by gradual gas leakage, which precedes initiation of Vulcanian eruptions. We hypothesize that the long-term gas leakage causes gradual decompression of the conduit, which induces supersaturation of volatile-rich magma beneath the lava plug causing explosive expansion, thereby triggering an eruption.