The role of natural hazards and human activities on change of sedimentation patterns: The case of Lake Yamanaka (Fuji Five Lakes, Japan)

International audienceThe last eruption of Mt Fuji (Japan) occurred in A.D. 1707. The eruption lasted 16 days from 16 December 1707 to 1 January 1708 (Tsuya, 1955) and 1.8 km3 of volcanic materials were ejected in total (Miyaji et al., 2011). Lake Yamanaka, a very shallow lake (max. 14. 3 m depth) located at the foot of the east-north-eastern flank of Mt Fuji, was heavily impacted by the eruption. A thick scoria layer entirely covered the catchment of Lake Yamanaka. The thickness of the deposit varies from 5 to 37 cm around Lake Yamanaka and reaches up to 149 cm at the south-west extremity of the catchment (Miyaji et al., 2011). In order to study the influence of Hoei eruption on Lake Yamanaka, 5 gravity cores were taken during the 2014 QuakeRecNankai campaign. The Hoei scoria was present at the bottom of the one core and in the core catcher of the four other cores. High resolution magnetic susceptibility, XRD, XRF, LOI, C/N and 210Pb/137Cs analyses were performed on the gravity cores. The results shows three distinct periods of sedimentation: (1) From Hoei eruption to A.D. 1900; (2) From A.D. 1900 to A.D. 1990; (3) From A.D. 1990 to A.D. 2014. The first period is characterized by a very low sedimentation rate (~0.07 cm/yr). During this period, the sediments of the catchment were trapped below the thick Hoei scoria layer. However, peaks of terrigenous input are recorded. We link such detrical signals with violent typhoons that hit the Fuji Five Lakes region. The water from the heavy rains percolated through the porous thick scoria layer and saturated it. As a result, surface runoffs carried the sediments from the catchment into Lake Yamanaka. The second period (from A.D. 1900 to A.D. 1990) is defined by an increase of the sedimentation rate (~0.16 cm/yr). The development of soil and the agriculture (e.g. pastureland, rice field, mulberry plantations) reduced the impact of Hoei scoria. The terrigenous inputs are higher than previously but remained more or less constant during this period of time. As the thickness of the scoria layer is partially reduced or covered by new soil, rains triggered by smaller typhoons could drain the sediments from watershed and transport them into the lake. The most recent period representing the last 27 years is characterized by a very high sedimentation rate (~1.036 cm/yr). The transition between period 2 and period 3 corresponds to the development of mass tourism and the urbanization around Lake Yamanaka. It is marked by an increasing of atmospheric pollution (Pb, Zn). In the upper part of the cores, a peak of 137Cs is observed. Such peak is related to cesium fall-out after Fukushima incident in 2011. In addition to the fingerprint of human impact, the lake also record a terrigenous signal related to the 2007 Fitow typhoon which provoked damage in the area. This study highlights the influence of eruptions and typhoons on the sedimentation of Lake Yamanaka. In the present day, the sedimentation recovery after a major eruption is accelerated by human activity