An explosion at Shin-dake cone yielded columns of smoke 3,000 m high at about [1540] on 2 April. After 30 minutes the height of the smoke column decreased to about 200 m (twice that of usual emissions). Egg-sized volcanic ejecta fell, and ash 2 cm deep was measured in a village 3 km from the crater. The last explosion took place on 3 June 1974. [JMA reported that there was no damage.]

Geological Summary. A group of young stratovolcanoes forms the eastern end of the irregularly shaped island of Kuchinoerabujima in the northern Ryukyu Islands, 15 km W of Yakushima. The Furudake, Shindake, and Noikeyama cones were erupted from south to north, respectively, forming a composite cone with multiple craters. All historical eruptions have occurred from Shindake, although a lava flow from the S flank of Furudake that reached the coast has a very fresh morphology. Frequent explosive eruptions have taken place from Shindake since 1840; the largest of these was in December 1933. Several villages on the 4 x 12 km island are located within a few kilometers of the active crater and have suffered damage from eruptions.

Information Contacts: T. Tiba, National Science Museum, Tokyo.