Vent 892 on the NE floor of Crater 1 had been covered by a pool of water since the last noted ash ejection in the crater on 30 June. Frequent mud and water ejections, and white steam emissions occurred during July and August. A plume containing small amounts of ash, intermittently ejected to 100 m from a vent in the SW part of Crater 1, was noted along with strong rumbling during a visit 30 August. The number of tremor episodes gradually decreased toward the end of August and tremor amplitude was at low levels.

Geological Summary. The 24-km-wide Asosan caldera was formed during four major explosive eruptions from 300,000 to 90,000 years ago. These produced voluminous pyroclastic flows that covered much of Kyushu. The last of these, the Aso-4 eruption, produced more than 600 km3 of airfall tephra and pyroclastic-flow deposits. A group of 17 central cones was constructed in the middle of the caldera, one of which, Nakadake, is one of Japan's most active volcanoes. It was the location of Japan's first documented historical eruption in 553 CE. The Nakadake complex has remained active throughout the Holocene. Several other cones have been active during the Holocene, including the Kometsuka scoria cone as recently as about 210 CE. Historical eruptions have largely consisted of basaltic to basaltic-andesite ash emission with periodic strombolian and phreatomagmatic activity. The summit crater of Nakadake is accessible by toll road and cable car, and is one of Kyushu's most popular tourist destinations.

Information Contacts: JMA.