Scientists say they have identified the spot where lava is most likely to spew forth should the Tatun Volcano Group erupt.
For residents of Greater Taipei, down at the feet of these mountains, that may not seem like reassuring news. But knowing where a volcanic vent is likely to form can help observers predict an eruption ahead of time.
Seismologists have found that the Tatun Volcano Group out on the edge of Taipei is alive and well. And now they say they know where any future eruption is likely to take place.
At a spot near a steam vent in Yangmingshan National Park, they’ve found a volcanic conduit 2km deep and 500 meters around. It’s the first volcanic conduit ever found in Taiwan.
A team of scientists led by Academia Sinica researcher Lin Cheng-horng made the discovery by looking at more than a thousand earthquakes that took place in the mountain group between 2014 and 2017.
Lin says there may be other, undiscovered conduits that could also serve as vents during an eruption. But the discovery of this conduit is an important start, especially as Taiwan moves to set up a volcano observatory to watch for signs that the mountains might be stirring.