A new study warns that a mountain-sized igneous rock that is approximately 3 to 12 miles beneath southern Japan could be acting like a lightning rod that triggers megaquakes in the region. The huge rock known as the Kumano Pluton was first discovered in 2006. It lies within the Nankai subduction zone.
Researchers from the University of Texas in Austin used a supercomputer to analyze 20 years of seismic data and generate the first high-resolution image of the massive rock estimated to be 43 to 78 miles across. The data revealed that it is diverting tectonic energy to its sides where the largest earthquakes originate. The findings could aid in future megaquakes that might strike the zone.
Japan Meteorological Agency's director of earthquake and tsunami observation division Shinya Tsukada speaks during a press conference in Tokyo on May 1, 2021 after a 6.8-magnitude earthquake struck off country's northeastern coast.
High-Definition 3D Model Help Predict Megaquakes
Researchers used the LoneStar5 supercomputer of UT's Texas Advanced Computing Center to analyze 20 years of seismic data into a single high-definition 3D model. Study lead author Adrien Arnulf said that big data is an eye-opener to what might await at less monitored areas.
Science Daily reported that the 3D model shows the area around the Nankai subduction zone where the crust bends under the weight of the pluton. It also shows that the massive rock diverts buried groundwater into the Earth's interior. Scientists think that pluton's interference with the Nankai subduction zone could be influencing the tectonic forces that create earthquakes.
Furthermore, seismic imaging using millions of recordings collected from thousands of locations created pictures of Earth's subsurface, revealing that the rock has a different density.
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Creating the 3D Model
Co-author Dan Bassett from GNS Science said Japan's vast network of sensors used in recording earthquakes and tremors also included recordings of scientific surveys that employ a technique that researchers have perfected while working on small-scale projects in New Zealand. According to MailOnline, they used this information to create the 3D model with the help of LoneStar5.
Although the findings constitute a significant demonstration of the potential of using big data to revolutionize seismology, experts believe that the full scope of the problem has remained unknown. Since scientists have plotted the whole Kumno Pluton, researchers said it could provide critical information for a new Japanese government-funded project to find whether a megaquake is building in the Nankai subduction zone.
The full findings of the study, titled "Upper-Plate Controls on Subduction Zone Geometry, Hydration and Earthquake Behavior," were published in Nature Geoscience.
Earth's Ring of Fire: Home of Active Volcanoes and Frequent Earthquakes
The Ring of Fire is a path along the Pacific Ocean estimated to be around 24,900 miles (40,000 kilometers) and traces the boundaries between several tectonic plates, according to National Geographic. It includes the Pacific, Indian-Australian, North American, Juan de Fuca, Cocos, Nazca, and Philippine Plates.
Moreover, it is home to more than 450 volcanoes, or equivalent to 75% of Earth's volcanoes, which causes at least 90% of the planet's earthquakes. The abundance of active volcanoes and seismic activity in the Ring of Fire caused the movement of tectonic plates in the area.
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