The Japan Meteorological Agency has reported a major eruption on Aso (or Asosan) a volcanic caldera on central Kyūshū Island, Japan. The volcano erupted early on the morning of Saturday 6 October 2016, producing an ash column over 11 km in height, which drifted to the northeast, producing ashfalls as far as 16 km away from the caldera. This is the first eruption on Mount Aso since September last year.
Smoke emerging from Aso Caldera following an eruption on 8 October 2016. Kyodo News/Reuters.
The Aso Caldera is the largest in Japan, and one of the largest in the
world, being approximately 25 km in diameter. The caldera is thought to
be the result of a series of four massive eruptions, the first of which
took place around 300 000 years ago, and the last around 90 000 years
ago. The caldera contains five smaller summits in a complex at its
center, the highest of which Mount Taka, rises 1592 m above sea-level.
These are also a series of hot springs within the caldera, which is a
popular tourist resort and part of the Japanese Geoparks Network.
Despite the site's dramatic history modern eruptions tend to be quite
small, and there are no records of any historical fatalities connected
with the volcano.
Cars covered by ash following the 8 October 2016 Aso eruption. Reuters.
Japan has a complex tectonic environment with four plates underlying
parts of the Islands; in addition to the Pacific in the east and the
Othorsk in the North, there are the Philipine Plate to the south and the
Eurasian Plate to the West. Kyūshū Island lies at the northeast end of
the Ryukyu Island Arc, which sits on top of the boundary between the
Eurasian and Philippine Plates. The Philippine Plate is being subducted
beneath the Eurasian Plate, in the Ryukyo Trench, to the Southeast of
the Islands. This is not a smooth process, with the two plates
continuously sticking together then breaking apart as the pressure builds
up, leading to frequent Earthquakes in the region.
The movement of the Pacific and Philippine Plates beneath eastern Honshu. Laurent Jolivet/Institut des Sciences de la Terre d'Orléans/Sciences de la Terre et de l'Environnement.
See also...
Magnitude 4.5 Earthquake in Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan. The Japan Meteorological Agency recorded a Magnitude 4.5 Earthquake at a depth of about 10 km...
Thousands evacuated and at least nine dead following Magnitude 6.4 Earthquake on Kyushu Island, Japan. At least nine people have died and another 850 have been injured, eight
seriously, following an Earthquake on the Japanese island...
Eruption on Sakurajima volcano, Japan. Sakurajima, an active volcano on Kyushu Island, Japan, underwent a
spectacular eruption on Friday 5 February 2015, producing an ash column
about 2.2 km in height as well as throwing incandescent...
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