A Refined Historical Record of Volcanic Eruptions around Taiwan: Tectonic Implications in the Arc-continent Collision Area

The historical record of volcanic eruptions is extremely important for natural hazard reduction, especially in densely inhabited areas.In concert with clarification of contradictory points in the historical eruptions' record, we have modified the locality, eruption size, and timing of submarine volcanic eruptions around Taiwan.Three out of five submarine eruption records (catalog numbers 0801-04, 0801-05 and 0802-01) in northern offshore Taiwan can be clearly traced.These events indicate that volcanic activity in this area is still in progress; and hence a program for volcanic hazard reduction should be seriously considered in northern Taiwan.Two events (catalog numbers 0801-03 and 0801-02) shown to have occurred in the southeast offshore region of Taiwan appear to be related to the Eurasian Continental Plate's eastwardly subduction under the Philippine Sea Plate.However, the new seismic wave travel time tomography of the subduction zone will be needed to clarify this. The refined results shall contribute to the Smithsonian Institution's Global Volcanism Program and the International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth's Interior (IAVCEI) for editing the next version of the Catalog of Active Volcanoes of the World.