Seismic Activity and Fault Dynamics in Volcanic Regions

The interplay between tectonic faulting and volcanic processes shapes crustal deformation in many of the world’s most active regions. Magma ascent and chamber pressurisation locally modify stress fields, promoting slip on adjacent faults, while seismic rupture can in turn alter permeability and trigger eruptions. Fault systems in volcanic terrains commonly exhibit mixed kinematics, with strike-slip and normal-slip components accommodating both regional plate motion and local extensional stresses around calderas. Detailed geodetic observations reveal that postseismic afterslip and viscoelastic relaxation in the lower crust influence fault loading for years after major events. Heterogeneities in crustal rheology and fracture networks further control static stress transfer between earthquakes and magma bodies. Advances in three-dimensional imaging techniques, combined with numerical models, are clarifying how faults and volcanic systems co-evolve, with direct implications for hazard assessment, geothermal energy exploitation and eruption forecasting.

Research from Nature Portfolio

Recent work has demonstrated that seismic activity and volcanic heat sources can mutually enhance subsurface conditions for geothermal exploitation. Modelling of a volcanic region in southern Japan shows that earthquake sequences open pre-existing vertical fractures, increasing CO₂ pressure and temperature in the reservoir. Subsequent minor eruptions have been linked to further permeability enhancement, suggesting that coupled seismic–volcanic processes may raise future geothermal power potential.

Seismic Activity and Fault Dynamics in Volcanic Regions publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in seismic activity and fault dynamics in volcanic regions across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Coseismic slip: The rapid displacement that occurs on a fault plane during an earthquake.

Afterslip: Postseismic fault slip occurring over days to years following a mainshock.

Viscoelastic relaxation: Time-dependent flow in the lower crust and upper mantle that redistributes stress after seismic rupture.

Finite-element model: A numerical method that divides the crust into discrete elements to simulate stress, strain and deformation.

Static stress transfer: Redistribution of crustal stress following an earthquake that can promote or inhibit failure on nearby faults or magma bodies.

Interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR): A remote-sensing technique that measures surface displacement by comparing phase changes in satellite radar images.

Dynamic triggering: The process by which transient seismic waves from one earthquake induce seismicity or fault slip at distant locations.

References

1. Integrated Investigation on Heterogeneous Lower Crust Rheology in Kyushu and Afterslip Behavior Following the 2016 Mw7.1 Kumamoto Earthquake. Geophysical Research Letters (2024).
2. Dynamics between earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and geothermal energy exploitation in Japan. Scientific Reports (2023).
3. Complete three-dimensional near-field surface displacements from imaging geodesy techniques applied to the 2016 Kumamoto earthquake. Remote Sensing of Environment (2019).
4. Effect of heterogeneities on evaluating earthquake triggering of volcanic eruptions. Natural Hazards and Earth System Science (2013).