Magmatic evolution of the Kikai caldera revealed by zircon triple dating and its chemistry

Abstract Reconstructing the volcanic history of the Kikai caldera, a large active volcano that produced a ~ 160 km3 eruption at 7.3 ka off the southern coast of Kyushu Island (southwest Japan), is crucial to assess potential future volcanic hazards at both regional and global scales. However, reveal...

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Main Author: Hisatoshi Ito
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Portfolio 2025-01-01
Series:Scientific Reports
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-87264-5
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author Hisatoshi Ito
author_facet Hisatoshi Ito
author_sort Hisatoshi Ito
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Reconstructing the volcanic history of the Kikai caldera, a large active volcano that produced a ~ 160 km3 eruption at 7.3 ka off the southern coast of Kyushu Island (southwest Japan), is crucial to assess potential future volcanic hazards at both regional and global scales. However, revealing its volcanic history before the 7.3 ka eruption has been challenging due to the caldera being mostly submerged. In this study, we present evidence that the Kikai caldera erupted a geochemically distinct silicic lava at ~ 250 ka by using zircon triple (U-Pb, Th-Pb, U-Th) dating and its chemistry. The presence of 1.5–1.0 Ma zircons in the 7.3 ka eruption deposits suggests that zircon crystallization in the Kikai caldera began during this period. We further infer large eruptions occurred around 0.7–0.6 Ma, suggesting that the Kikai caldera may have experienced at least 5 major eruptions during its 1.0–1.5-million-year magmatic evolution.
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spelling doaj-art-21d60f44ae954e268110300cee7e071c2025-01-26T12:34:14ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222025-01-0115111210.1038/s41598-025-87264-5Magmatic evolution of the Kikai caldera revealed by zircon triple dating and its chemistryHisatoshi Ito0Central Research Institute of Electric Power IndustryAbstract Reconstructing the volcanic history of the Kikai caldera, a large active volcano that produced a ~ 160 km3 eruption at 7.3 ka off the southern coast of Kyushu Island (southwest Japan), is crucial to assess potential future volcanic hazards at both regional and global scales. However, revealing its volcanic history before the 7.3 ka eruption has been challenging due to the caldera being mostly submerged. In this study, we present evidence that the Kikai caldera erupted a geochemically distinct silicic lava at ~ 250 ka by using zircon triple (U-Pb, Th-Pb, U-Th) dating and its chemistry. The presence of 1.5–1.0 Ma zircons in the 7.3 ka eruption deposits suggests that zircon crystallization in the Kikai caldera began during this period. We further infer large eruptions occurred around 0.7–0.6 Ma, suggesting that the Kikai caldera may have experienced at least 5 major eruptions during its 1.0–1.5-million-year magmatic evolution.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-87264-5
spellingShingle Hisatoshi Ito
Magmatic evolution of the Kikai caldera revealed by zircon triple dating and its chemistry
Scientific Reports
title Magmatic evolution of the Kikai caldera revealed by zircon triple dating and its chemistry
title_full Magmatic evolution of the Kikai caldera revealed by zircon triple dating and its chemistry
title_fullStr Magmatic evolution of the Kikai caldera revealed by zircon triple dating and its chemistry
title_full_unstemmed Magmatic evolution of the Kikai caldera revealed by zircon triple dating and its chemistry
title_short Magmatic evolution of the Kikai caldera revealed by zircon triple dating and its chemistry
title_sort magmatic evolution of the kikai caldera revealed by zircon triple dating and its chemistry
url https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-87264-5
work_keys_str_mv AT hisatoshiito magmaticevolutionofthekikaicalderarevealedbyzircontripledatinganditschemistry