Geology of the Iizuna Volcano, Central Japan

Iizuna volcano (1871m) is formed at the southern end of the Myoko volcanoes which are situated in the northern part of the Fossa Magna. It is a Quaternary stratovolcano built on an anticlinal axis of basal Neogene strata, and has a horseshoe caldera with 2.5×2.0km in diameter at its summit. The volcanic cone is considerably dissected in contrast to the Myoko and Kurohime volcanoes. At the western to northern midslope of the cone, the five domes of Kenashiyama, Nakanomine, Takadekki, Tengudake, and 1340 m-ridge are arranged in NE-SW direction (Fig. 1).The growth-history of the Iizuna volcano may be divided broadly into the Ist and IInd stages, and the latter may be subdivided into the stratovolcano, caldera, and lava dome stages (Table 1). The eruptives from this volcano are full of variety such as lavas, pyroclastic (scoria, pumice, lapilli, and others) falls, pyroclastic flows, and volcanic mud flows. The rocks consist of basalt, pyroxene andesite, and hornblende andesite (Fig. 2). Augite-hypersthene andesite is predominant in volume.During the activity of the IInd stage, the mode of eruption and rock nature generally tend to change as follows, respectively: mode of eruption; eruption of scoria fall→alternated eruption of lava flows and pyroclastics→eruption of pyroclastic flows and falls, and viscous lave flows: rock nature; basalt→pyroxene andesite→horhblende andesite. The activity of this volcano began at the middle Pleistocene, and had already closed at least 32, 000 years ago.