11 Eruptions Recorded in a Single Day on May 22
"Difficult to Predict How Long It Will Last"... Residents Remain Anxious
Ongoing volcanic activity at Sakurajima, an active volcano in Japan, has continued for a week, heightening anxiety among local residents.
On May 23, NHK and other outlets reported that since May 15, a total of 135 eruptions have occurred at the Minamidake summit crater of Sakurajima, located in Kagoshima Prefecture in southern Kyushu.
During an eruption that occurred at around 6:56 p.m. on the same day, volcanic ash plumes soared up to 3,500 meters above the crater. Additionally, volcanic ejecta known as lapilli were confirmed to have traveled between 800 and 1,100 meters from the crater.
The Kagoshima Local Meteorological Observatory stated that 11 eruptions were observed on May 22 alone. Notably, during an explosive eruption at around 12:30 p.m. on that day, the ash plume rose to a height of 2,600 meters.
The meteorological observatory explained, "The ongoing inflation of the volcanic edifice, caused by the movement of magma inside the volcano, suggests that further eruptions accompanied by significant volcanic ash are highly likely." The observatory also forecasted that a small amount of volcanic ash would fall on Sakurajima Island and in parts of Kagoshima Prefecture, including Kanoya City, Ibusuki City, and Nishinoomote City.
Unmanned monitoring camera capturing the eruption of Sakurajima in February last year Photo by Yonhap News
The observatory further cautioned, "There is a risk that small volcanic fragments could be carried far by the wind, so residents in areas downwind should exercise particular caution." It also urged people to be alert for large lapilli and pyroclastic flows within approximately 2 kilometers of both the Minamidake summit crater and the Showa crater. Currently, the lapilli falling in the area are estimated to be about 1 centimeter in diameter.
The current volcanic alert level set by the meteorological observatory remains at Level 3 (entry restrictions). Japan's volcanic alert system has five levels, with Level 5 being the highest, requiring residents to evacuate to prevent severe damage.
As of this year, Sakurajima has recorded 131 eruptions. Professor Nakamichi Chiku of the Disaster Prevention Research Institute at Kyoto University commented, "Given the current situation, it is difficult to predict whether the activity will subside in a matter of days or even within a week," adding, "It appears this could be a prolonged event."
Earlier, in February, Japan's government volcano investigation committee examined eight volcanoes?including Sakurajima?out of the 111 across the Japanese archipelago. These eight were either active within the past year or lacked sufficient related information. The committee concluded that there were no signs of impending large-scale eruptions.
At that time, committee chair Hiroshi Shimizu stated, "There were no indications that the likelihood of imminent eruptions at these eight volcanoes had increased, nor were there signs that the scale of eruptions would expand to the point of necessitating resident evacuations." However, he advised that further investigations, such as volcanic ash collection, would be necessary.
Sakurajima volcano experienced 1,117 eruptions in 2013, causing significant damage as volcanic ash and lapilli fell on areas near Kagoshima. During that period, ash plumes rose as high as 5 kilometers into the sky, and a small amount of lava flowed near the crater.
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