Report on Kirishimayama (Japan) — February 1992
Bulletin of the Global Volcanism Network, vol. 17, no. 2 (February 1992)
Managing Editor: Lindsay McClelland.
Kirishimayama (Japan) Steam emission; fine ashfall near vents; tremor ends
Please cite this report as:
Global Volcanism Program, 1992. Report on Kirishimayama (Japan) (McClelland, L., ed.). Bulletin of the Global Volcanism Network, 17:2. Smithsonian Institution. https://doi.org/10.5479/si.GVP.BGVN199202-282090
Kirishimayama
Japan
31.934°N, 130.862°E; summit elev. 1700 m
All times are local (unless otherwise noted)
Steam emission . . . continued steadily in February, reaching 200-300 m height. The ground around the fumaroles was covered by a fine dusting of ash during air reconnaissance on 5, 12, and 18 February. Seismicity was low, with continuous volcanic tremor ceasing on 2 February, and a monthly total of 25 recorded earthquakes . . . .
Geological Summary. Kirishimayama is a large group of more than 20 Quaternary volcanoes located north of Kagoshima Bay. The late-Pleistocene to Holocene dominantly andesitic group consists of stratovolcanoes, pyroclastic cones, maars, and underlying shield volcanoes located over an area of 20 x 30 km. The larger stratovolcanoes are scattered throughout the field, with the centrally located Karakunidake being the highest. Onamiike and Miike, the two largest maars, are located SW of Karakunidake and at its far eastern end, respectively. Holocene eruptions have been concentrated along an E-W line of vents from Miike to Ohachi, and at Shinmoedake to the NE. Frequent small-to-moderate explosive eruptions have been recorded since the 8th century.
Information Contacts: JMA.
