3:30 PM - 5:00 PM
[SVC28-P04] Volcanic Ash Database: a database of microscopic images for petrological monitoring of volcanic activities
Keywords:volcanic ash, database, petrological monitoring, volcanic activity
Volcanic ash is a material directly provided due to eruptions. Ash characteristics, such as color, shape, and particle types, provide information on the presence or absence of magma, its crystallinity and volatile content, and the type of eruption. Comparing ash characteristics among the time series of volcanic activities and between similar eruption types, is a common method for the petrological monitoring of volcanoes. However, the absence of existing database that summarizes the characteristics of volcanic ash makes the search of similar cases in the past and eruption transition prediction very difficult.
We developed and released a database of volcanic ash ejected from major eruptions in Japan and abroad (https://gbank.gsj.jp/volcano/volcanic_ash/indexe.php) to address this issue. It is the first database that contains microscopic images of volcanic ash particles, their eruption types, and information on volcanic activity. The database covers most of the volcanic ash from major eruptions in Japan in the 21st century, older eruptions and caldera-forming eruptions, and samples from overseas eruptions. More than 1,000 ash samples from 40 volcanoes in Japan and abroad have been registered in this database, which will be updated when more samples are collected or provided. The number of microscopic and field images is over 11,000. Users can search ash samples using the name of volcanoes on a list or a search field that can accept eruption name, eruption date and sample name entries. Search can also be done using the locations of volcanoes on the map. Sampling locations also can be displayed on the map when they are provided. All ash sample data, including images, are downloadable and freely available according to the Government of Japan Standard Terms of Use 2.0. We are developing the sorting function according to the time series of eruption and a function to search by keywords for volcanic activity. This database will enable a rapid search of information on past ash samples when a new eruption occurs. It will contribute to the mitigation of eruption disasters by rapidly identifying their mechanism and transition.
We developed and released a database of volcanic ash ejected from major eruptions in Japan and abroad (https://gbank.gsj.jp/volcano/volcanic_ash/indexe.php) to address this issue. It is the first database that contains microscopic images of volcanic ash particles, their eruption types, and information on volcanic activity. The database covers most of the volcanic ash from major eruptions in Japan in the 21st century, older eruptions and caldera-forming eruptions, and samples from overseas eruptions. More than 1,000 ash samples from 40 volcanoes in Japan and abroad have been registered in this database, which will be updated when more samples are collected or provided. The number of microscopic and field images is over 11,000. Users can search ash samples using the name of volcanoes on a list or a search field that can accept eruption name, eruption date and sample name entries. Search can also be done using the locations of volcanoes on the map. Sampling locations also can be displayed on the map when they are provided. All ash sample data, including images, are downloadable and freely available according to the Government of Japan Standard Terms of Use 2.0. We are developing the sorting function according to the time series of eruption and a function to search by keywords for volcanic activity. This database will enable a rapid search of information on past ash samples when a new eruption occurs. It will contribute to the mitigation of eruption disasters by rapidly identifying their mechanism and transition.