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Dendrochronological study of past volcanic activity with fossil petrified wood.

Research Project

Project/Area Number 04452064
Research Category

Grant-in-Aid for General Scientific Research (B)

Allocation TypeSingle-year Grants
Research Field 固体地球物理学
Research InstitutionNagoya University

Principal Investigator

YAMAOKA Koshun  School of Science, Nagoya Univ.Assoc.Prof., 理学部, 助教授 (70183118)

Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha) FUKAO Yoshio  Erthq.Res.Inst., Univ.Tokyo, Prof., 地震研究所, 教授 (10022708)
KOYAMA Masato  School of Education, Shizuka Univ.Assoc.Prof., 教育学部, 助教授 (70183811)
KUMAZAWA Mineo  School of Science, Nagoya Univ.Prof., 理学部, 教授 (60022571)
Project Period (FY) 1992 – 1993
Project Status Completed (Fiscal Year 1993)
Budget Amount *help
¥6,500,000 (Direct Cost: ¥6,500,000)
Fiscal Year 1993: ¥1,400,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,400,000)
Fiscal Year 1992: ¥5,100,000 (Direct Cost: ¥5,100,000)
Keywordsvolcano / petrified woods / Mount Asama / the 1783 eruption of Asama / dendrochronology / 富士山 / 炭化木
Research Abstract

Tree rings of petrified woods in volcanic sediments were analyzed to resolve a volcanic activity of 20 Ma ago with a relative accurcy of 1 yr. Field observations indicate that these petrified woods are the fossils of the trees that were carried away from their growth sites with volcanic breccia ejected upon explosive eruption and included in it. Using a dendrochronological procedure we measured the relative years of the last rings of the petrified woods. The relative years of the last rings are concentrated in 17 yrs, where the ring-width patterns show an anomalous behavior similar to one observed in firs growing in the area devastated by Mt.St.Helens. We suggest that the last-formed tree ring of a petrified wood is a record of volcanic eruption and that the activity of volcano continued over a period of 17 yrs, in which eruption occurred at least five times.
A fossil wood found in volcanic sediments of the 1783-eruption of Asama volcano is used to test the usefulness of tree-ring records for high resolution dating of an eruption event. The dendrochronological dating is first applied by using the Chamaecyparis master chronology. High correlation is found at the position of 1783 AD as tree death though some other years have also high correlation. In order to overcome the difficulty to give uniqueness of dating the 14C dating was then applied. We extracted 14C age variation within the fossil wood, and then searched the matching position between this 14C age variation and the calibration curve of Stuiver and Becker (1993). Uncertainty of the calendar year of death of the fossil wood was greatly reduced by this procedure compared with the conventional method. In combination of the results of dendrochronological dating and of 14C dating it is suggested that the death of the fossil wood occured in 1783 AD, a date consistent with document records. Our result indicates the usefulness of tree-ring records for high resolution dating of an eruption event.

Report

(3 results)
  • 1993 Annual Research Report   Final Research Report Summary
  • 1992 Annual Research Report
  • Research Products

    (4 results)

All Other

All Publications (4 results)

  • [Publications] Kumagai,H and Fukao Y.: "Resolving volcanic activity of 20 MA ago with relative accuracy of lyr.from tree rings of petrified wood" Geophysical Research Letter. 19. 1859-1862 (1992)

    • Description
      「研究成果報告書概要(和文)」より
    • Related Report
      1993 Final Research Report Summary
  • [Publications] Kumagai, H.and Fukao Y.: "Resolving volcanic activity of 20MA ago with relative accuracy of 1yr.from tree rings of petrified wood" Geophys.Res.Lett.vol.19. 1859-1862 (1992)

    • Description
      「研究成果報告書概要(欧文)」より
    • Related Report
      1993 Final Research Report Summary
  • [Publications] Kumagai,H and Fukao Y: "Resolving volcanic activity of 20 MA ago with relative accuracy of Lyr.from tree rings of petrified woods" Geophysical Research Letter. 19. 1859-1862 (1992)

    • Related Report
      1993 Annual Research Report
  • [Publications] Kumagai,H and Fukao,Y.: "Resolving volcanic activity of 20MA ago with relative accuracy of lyr.from tree rings of petrified woods" Geophysical Research Letter.19. 1859-1862 (1992)

    • Related Report
      1992 Annual Research Report

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Published: 1992-04-01   Modified: 2016-04-21  

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