Volcanoes of Kunashir Island (4)

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Significant volcanic eruptions: Kunashir Island

In historic times, at least 3 volcanoes have been active in Kunashir Island, including Tiatia, Mendeleev, and Golovnin volcanoes. A total of 6 eruptions have been witnessed and documented since 1812.
The table below lists volcanic eruptions, significant eruptive episodes or related events in Kunashir Island during geologically recent times.

Date	Volcano	VEI	Region
1981 Jun 10 - Jun 25	Tiatia	2?	Kunashir Island
1978 Jul 20	Tiatia	2	Kunashir Island
1973 Jul 14 - Jul 28	Tiatia NNW and SSE flanks	4	Kunashir Island
1880	Mendeleev NE solfatara field	1	Kunashir Island
1848	Golovnin Eastern explosion crater	1	Kunashir Island, Kuril Islands
1812 Aug	Tiatia	2	Kunashir Island

Remark:

Our list of volcanic eruptions closely follows the database of eruptions of the Smithsonian's Global Volcanism Project (GVP), the internationally most recognized data source for volcanic eruptions, but also includes significant eruptive episodes or related volcano events. "Volcanic eruptions" are usually to be understood as sequences of individual eruptive episodes that can follow each other, or even overlap (if several vents are involved), and can last many years, decades or even longer. For example, the current activity of Stromboli volcano is understood as a single eruption that has been ongoing since 1934.

Sources: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI), Global Significant Volcanic Eruptions Database. doi:10.7289/V5TD9V7K | Global Volcanism Project / Smithsonian Institution

Kunashir Island FAQ

+When was the last volcanic eruption in Kunashir Island?

The last volcanic eruption in Kunashir Island was from Tiatia volcano in 1981.

+When was the first documented volcanic eruption in Kunashir Island?

The first historically documented eruption occurred 1812 from Tiatia volcano.

+How often do volcanoes in Kunashir Island erupt?

Since 1812, Kunashir Island has seen at least 6 historically documented eruptions. This means that a volcano erupts on average every 35.5 years.

+How active are the volcanoes in Kunashir Island?

Kunashir Island is volcanically occasionally active: Since 1900, at least 1 volcanoes in Kunashir Island have been active.Since 1900, Kunashir Island has had 3 volcanic eruptions from 1 individual volcanoes. Volcanic eruptions have been recorded erupted during 3 years out of 126 as of now. This means, at least one volcano in Kunashir Island has been in eruption in one in 42 years on average. The last volcano to erupt in Kunashir Island was Tiatia volcano, which erupted in 1981, 44 years ago.

+When was the largest volcanic eruption in Kunashir Island?

The largest eruption in Kunashir Island in historic times was from Tiatia volcano. It occurred in 1973. It ranks as a sub-plinian eruption with a magnitude 4 on the VEI (Volcanic Explosivity Index) scale.

Volcano List

Golovnin

(caldera 543 m / 1,781 ft)

Golovnin volcano (or Tomariyama in Japanese) is the southernmost volcano in the Kurile Islands and forms the southern end of Kunashir Island, located only 33 km across the Nemuro Strait from Hokkaido Island in Japan.
It has a 4x5 km wide caldera with an 1x2.5 km wide lake, ... [more info]

Mendeleev

(stratovolcano 888 m / 2,913 ft)

Mendeleev (Raususan or Rausudake in Japanese) is a low stratovolcano on Kunashir Island in the southern Kurile Islands, 40 km from Hokkiado in Northern Japan. The volcano is composed of 3 nested calderas measuring 6x9 km (the oldest caldera), 3x3.5 km, and 1x1 km (youngest calder... [more info]

Smirnov

(stratovolcano 1189 m / 3,901 ft)

Smirnov volcano is an active andesitic stratovolcano on the NW tip of Kunashir Island in the Kuriles, Russia. The gently sloped and glacially eroded volcano is located immediately west of Tiatia volcano. [more info]

Tiatia

(stratovolcano 1819 m / 5,968 ft)

Tiatia volcano (Chacha-dake in Japanese) is one of the most impressive volcanoes in the Kuriles. It is a symmetrical stratovolcano located on the NE end of Kunashir Island 70 km from Hokkiado, Japan. The volcano has a 2.1 x 2.4 km wide caldera and a young summit central cone with... [more info]

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Tiatia volcano (Kunashir Island, Kuril Islands) activity update: weak thermal anomaly

SVERT reported that a weak thermal anomaly over Tiatia was detected in satellite images on 1 September. Read all

Wed, 29 Aug 2012, 06:00

Chachadake [Tiatia] volcano (Kunashir Island, Japan/Russia) - Smithsonian / USGS Weekly Volcanic Activity Report for 29 August-4 September 2012 (New Activity / Unrest)

SVERT reported that a weak thermal anomaly over Tiatia was detected in satellite images on 1 September. The Aviation Color Code remained at Yellow. ... Read all

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