Researchers have found that the magma reservoir beneath Japan's Kikai caldera, site of the Holocene's largest eruption 7,300 years ago, is refilling with newly injected magma. Using underwater seismic imaging, a team led by Kobe University's Nobukazu Seama mapped the reservoir and linked it to the ancient event. The discovery offers insights into how such systems rebuild after massive eruptions.
Far beneath the ocean near Japan, scientists have mapped a large magma-rich zone under the Kikai caldera. The reservoir matches the one responsible for the most powerful eruption of the Holocene, which occurred 7,300 years ago. Kobe University geophysicist Nobukazu Seama stated, 'Due to its extent and location it is clear that this is in fact the same magma reservoir as in the previous eruption.'