• The Journal of the Petrological Society of Korea
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.1-12
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• 2012

The Baegdusan volcano is one of the most active volcanoes in northeastern Asia, and the 10th century eruption was the most voluminous eruption in the world in recent 2,000 years. During the period from 2002 to 2005, volcanic earthquakes and abnormal surface distortions by suspected subsurface magma intrusion beneath the volcano were observed in the Baegdusan area. Seismic activity has gradually increased with earthquake swarms during 2002-2003 and hundreds of seismic event in a day, especially annual peak of 2,100 in 2003. Then the number of seismic activity has declined since 2006 to the background level in 1999-2001. According to the typical frequency of volcanic earthquakes in the Baegdusan volcano, the frequency distribution of typical volcanic earthquakes between 2002 and 2005 indicates that all the main frequency of the earthquakes basically falls down less than 5 Hz and 5-10 Hz. These events are all the VT-B and LP events caused by the shallow localized fracture and intrusion of magma. The horizontal displacement measurement by GPS during the period from 2000 to 2007 of the Baegdusan stratovolcano area indicates that an inflated process has been centered at the summit caldera since 2002. The displacement between 2002 and 2003 reached at a maximum value of 4 cm. After 2003, the deformation rate of the volcano continued to decrease with unusual variation during the period from 2006 to 2007. After 2003 the vertical displacement uplift rate falls down gradually but still keeps in an uplift trend in northern slope. It is generally believed that when $^3He/^4He(R)$ in a gas sample from a hot spring exceeds $^3He/^4He(R)$ in the atmosphere, it can be concluded that mantle-source. And temperatures of hot springs are rising steadily to $83^{\circ}C$. It is unrest signals at the Baegdusan, which is potentially active. The Baegdusan volcano is now in unrest status, there is eruption threat in the near future. Intensified monitoring and emergency response plan for volcanic risk mitigation are urgent for the volcano.