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Subsurface Structure Lab
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The lab uses electromagnetic waves to see beneath the ground and explore the settings where earthquakes and volcanic activity occur.
AboutAbout the lab
Looking underground from the surface
The Subsurface Structure Lab studies the subsurface structure related to earthquakes and volcanoes, and how it changes over time.
Its current focus is subsurface exploration using electromagnetic waves (the magnetotelluric method), combined with geomagnetic mapping and monitoring and numerical modeling.
The human eye cannot see even 1 cm beneath the ground, but long-wavelength electromagnetic waves make it possible to image what lies below.
The lab aims to link these results to the prediction and assessment of earthquakes and volcanic activity.
Key terms
- Magnetotelluric method
- An exploration method that uses electromagnetic waves naturally present around the Earth to investigate how easily electricity flows through the subsurface
- Geomagnetic field
- The magnetism of the Earth itself. Because the magnetization of rock changes with temperature, changes in the field serve as a clue
- Numerical modeling
- Using a computer to calculate subsurface structures and the phenomena taking place in them, in order to check whether they can explain observational data
NewsLab news
A research group including Kyushu University and others points to the possibility of a large magma reservoir beneath Akan Caldera
A paper investigating shallow thermal activity at Tokachidake through repeated drone-based magnetic surveys is published in Earth, Planets and Space (EPS)
The Research Center for Seismology and Volcanology holds a lab assignment information session for third-year students in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences
A paper using numerical calculations to investigate the electrical conductivity of mixtures of saltwater, quartz, and smectite is published in JGR
ResearchResearch themes
The lab investigates the subsurface structure related to earthquakes and volcanoes, and how it changes over time. Centered on electromagnetic exploration, it also uses geomagnetic observations and numerical modeling to reveal the subsurface from multiple perspectives.
*Illustrative imageSeeing through the ground with electromagnetic waves
Centered on an exploration technique called the magnetotelluric method, the lab studies the subsurface structure related to earthquakes and volcanoes and how it changes over time. It continues research that uses electromagnetic waves to make the structure beneath Hokkaido visible.
*Illustrative imageProbing the inside of volcanoes with geomagnetic observations
The magnetization of rock changes with temperature. Using this property, the lab monitors subsurface temperature changes accompanying volcanic activity from observations of changes in the geomagnetic field. It also carries out geomagnetic mapping.
*Illustrative imageSubsurface structure and where earthquakes occur
Earthquakes do not occur uniformly everywhere; they concentrate in particular regions. The cause is thought to lie in the subsurface structure, and by accumulating electromagnetic surveys, the lab hopes to be able to identify places where earthquakes are likely to occur from the subsurface structure.
MembersFaculty
Members of the Subsurface Structure Lab consist of faculty and master's students.As of 2026
- ProfessorTakeshi Hashimoto
VoicesStudent voices
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Report an errorAbout the images
The top and research theme images are illustrative and were not taken at the lab. They are cropped from Wikimedia Commons images. Cropped CC BY-SA images are provided under the same CC BY-SA license as the original (version shown on each line).
- Top image: “Mount Meakan02s10” 663highland / CC BY 2.5 (cropped)
- Seeing through the ground with electromagnetic waves: “Akan Caldera Relief Map, SRTM” Batholith / Public domain (cropped)
- Probing the inside of volcanoes with geomagnetic observations: “Taal Volcano Observatory DRC” Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology / Public domain (cropped)
- Subsurface structure and where earthquakes occur: “Northridge-earthquake-fault-USC” USC / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Geochemistry Lab): “Allende meteorite, carbonaceous chondrite ( )” James St. John / CC BY 2.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Space Geodesy Lab): “Sisters07 TheHusband gps station 05-10-07” Dave Sherrod, en:United States Geological Survey / Public domain (cropped)
- Related lab (Environmental Change Analysis Lab): “View of geological strata in Capadocia” Wokege / CC0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Earth and Planetary Materials Science Lab): “Calcite-20188” Robert M. Lavinsky / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
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