Report on Kirishimayama (Japan) — 13 November-19 November 2019
Smithsonian Institution / US Geological Survey
Weekly Volcanic Activity Report, 13 November-19 November 2019
Managing Editor: Sally Sennert.
Please cite this report as:
Global Volcanism Program, 2019. Report on Kirishimayama (Japan) (Sennert, S, ed.). Weekly Volcanic Activity Report, 13 November-19 November 2019. Smithsonian Institution and US Geological Survey.
Kirishimayama
Japan
31.934°N, 130.862°E; summit elev. 1700 m
All times are local (unless otherwise noted)
The number of volcanic earthquakes with hypocenters just below Shinmoedake (Shinmoe peak), a stratovolcano of the Kirishimayama volcano group, increased around 1900 on 17 November and continued to increase through the next day. JMA raised the Alert Level to 2 (on a scale of 1-5) on 18 November. Bad weather conditions prevented visual webcam observations.
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.
