Inundation Hazard Zone Created by Large Lahar Flow at the Baekdu Volcano Simulated using LAHARZ

The Baekdu volcano (2,750 m a.s.l.) is located on the border between Yanggando Province in North Korea and Jilin Province in China. Its eruption in 946 A.D. was among the largest and most violent eruptions in the past 5,000 years, with a volcanic explosivity index (VEI) of 7. In this study, we processed and analyzed lahar-inundation hazard zone data, applying a geographic information system program with menu-driven software (LAHARZ)to a shuttle radar topography mission 30 m digital elevation model. LAHARZ can simulate inundation hazard zones created by large lahar flows that originate on volcano flanks using simple input parameters. The LAHARZ is useful both for mapping hazard zones and estimating the extent of damage due to active volcanic eruption. These results can be used to establish evacuation plans for nearby residents without field survey data. We applied two different simulation methods in LAHARZ to examine six water systems near Baekdu volcano, selecting weighting factors by varying the ratio of height and distance. There was a slight difference between uniform and non-uniform ratio changes in the lahar-inundation hazard zone maps, particularly as slopes changed on the east and west sides of the Baekdu volcano. This result can be used to improve monitoring of volcanic eruption hazard zones and prevent disasters due to large lahar flows.