Hakone Volcano

Updated: Sep 6, 2025 09:58 GMT - refresh

complex volcano

Honshu (Japan), 35.23°N / 139.02°E

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Summit height: 1438 m / 4,718 ft

Current status: normal or dormant (1 out of 5)

Last update: 12 Dec 2021 (Smithsonian / USGS Weekly Volcanic Activity Report)

Hakone (Hakoneyama) volcano is located 80 km SW of Tokyo. It is a massive stratovolcano truncated by 2 overlapping calderas, the largest being 11 x 10 km wide. It contains several younger vents, mostly lava domes, on a SW-NE trend cutting through the center of the caldera. The Kami-yama stratovolcano, the youngest of these, forms the high point of the volcano.
The calderas are breached to the east by the Haya-kawa canyon. The scenic Lake Ashi (Ashinoko) was created by a phreatic eruption 3000 yeas ago, which followed the collapse of the NW flank of the largest and youngest of the lava domes and dammed the Haya-kawa valley.
The last activity of Hakone volcano was ca. 800 years ago and consisted in phreatic explosions.
Lake Ashi and other major thermal areas in the caldera are a tourist destination SW of Tokyo.

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News/Updates | Earthquakes

Typical eruption style: phreatic explosions
Hakone volcano eruptions: 1170 AD ± 100 years (radiocarbon dated), 50 BC (?), 1050 BC (?), 1200 BC (?), 1400 BC ± 100 years, 3700 BC ± 100 years, 6000 BC ± 100 years

Latest nearby earthquakes

Date and Time	Mag / Depth	Distance / Location
Sep 6, 04:24 pm (GMT +9)	1.0 13 km	22 km (14 mi) to the NE	7.7 km northwest of Hadano, Kanagawa, Japan	Info
Friday, September 5, 2025 GMT (2 quakes)
Sep 6, 08:22 am (GMT +9)	0.3 23 km	23 km (14 mi) to the N	Japan: Eastern Yamanashi Pref	Info
Sep 5, 10:30 pm (GMT +9)	0.3 13 km	24 km (15 mi) to the NE	Japan: Kanagawa Pref	Info
Thursday, September 4, 2025 GMT (2 quakes)
Sep 5, 02:20 am (GMT +9)	0.9 17 km	18 km (11 mi) to the N	Japan: Kanagawa Pref	Info
Sep 4, 08:32 pm (GMT +9)	0.4 15 km	24 km (15 mi) to the N	Japan: Kanagawa Pref	Info
Wednesday, September 3, 2025 GMT (1 quake)
Sep 4, 05:51 am (GMT +9)	0.6 5.2 km	3.2 km (2 mi) to the SW	Japan: Hakone Region	Info
Tuesday, September 2, 2025 GMT (2 quakes)
Sep 3, 06:16 am (GMT +9)	0.2 3.4 km	0.3 km (0.2 mi) to the SW	Japan: Hakone Region	Info
Sep 3, 05:49 am (GMT +9)	2.3 4.4 km	0.7 km (0.4 mi) to the SW	13 km west of Odawara, Kanagawa, Japan 1 report	Info
Thursday, August 28, 2025 GMT (2 quakes)
Aug 29, 03:39 am (GMT +9)	2.6 6.3 km	18 km (11 mi) to the SE	Japan: E Off Izu Peninsula 1 report	Info

View recent quakes

Background

The Hakone volcano calderas were formed as a result of 2 major explosive eruptions about 180,000 and 49,000-60,000 years ago.
Dome growth after the caldera formation occurred progressively to the south. Ōwakudani (大涌谷, lit. "Great Boiling Valley") is a valley with intense hydrothermal activity and the location of several phreatic explosions in the past.
The latest magmatic eruption from Hakone was ca. 2900 years ago and produced a pyroclastic flow and a lava dome in the explosion crater. Phreatic eruptions have last occurred in the 12-13th centuries AD. Seismic swarms occurred at Hakone during the 20th century.
(Source: Smithsonian / GVP volcano information)

Significant volcanic eruptions: Hakone volcano

In the past 10,000 years, Hakone has had only one confirmed historic eruption in 2015, but at least 7 eruptions can be inferred from geological evidence.

The table below lists all known eruptions (date in bold face) of Hakone volcano in historic times and during the past 10,000 years. Updates on the most recent volcanic activity of Hakone can be found on the news page of Hakone volcano.

Date	Note	VEI	Deaths
2015 Jun 29 - Jul 1	Owakudani hot springs, 1 km N of Kamiyama dome Historical obs./docs.	1
1972 Oct 2 (eruptive episode 1972 Oct 2)		0	2	Info
1972 Oct 2: No eruption. (reference #9675) Cited references #9675 Siebert, Lee, Tom Simkin, Paul Kimberly (2010): Fatalities & Evacuations, Volcanoes of the World, Third Edition, Geoscience Press, Inc., University of California Press, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., p. 329-347. Source: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI), Global Significant Earthquake Database. doi:10.7289/V5TD9V7K
1953 Jul 26 (eruptive episode 1953 Jul 26)		0	10	Info
1953 Jul 26: Landslide killed 10. No eruption. (reference #9675) Cited references #9675 Siebert, Lee, Tom Simkin, Paul Kimberly (2010): Fatalities & Evacuations, Volcanoes of the World, Third Edition, Geoscience Press, Inc., University of California Press, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., p. 329-347. Source: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI), Global Significant Earthquake Database. doi:10.7289/V5TD9V7K
1952 Mar 27 (eruptive episode 1952 Mar 27)		0	1	Info
1952 Mar 27: No eruption. (reference #9675) Cited references #9675 Siebert, Lee, Tom Simkin, Paul Kimberly (2010): Fatalities & Evacuations, Volcanoes of the World, Third Edition, Geoscience Press, Inc., University of California Press, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., p. 329-347. Source: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI), Global Significant Earthquake Database. doi:10.7289/V5TD9V7K
1951 Nov 5 (eruptive episode 1951 Nov 5)		0	2	Info
1951 Nov 5: No eruption. (reference #9675) Cited references #9675 Siebert, Lee, Tom Simkin, Paul Kimberly (2010): Fatalities & Evacuations, Volcanoes of the World, Third Edition, Geoscience Press, Inc., University of California Press, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., p. 329-347. Source: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI), Global Significant Earthquake Database. doi:10.7289/V5TD9V7K
1933 May 10 (eruptive episode 1933 May 10)		0	1	Info
1933 May 10: One killed during fumarolic activity. No eruption. (reference #9675) There was a discharge and loud boom from the Owakudani fumarole, killing 1. (reference #12936) Cited references #9675 Siebert, Lee, Tom Simkin, Paul Kimberly (2010): Fatalities & Evacuations, Volcanoes of the World, Third Edition, Geoscience Press, Inc., University of California Press, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., p. 329-347. #12936 Japan Meteorological Agency and Volcanological Society of Japan (2013): National Catalogue of the Active Volcanoes in Japan (fourth edition, English version). Japan Meteorological Agency. [accessed May 20, 2021] Link Source: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI), Global Significant Earthquake Database. doi:10.7289/V5TD9V7K
1170 ±100 y. AD	Owakudani	?
50 ? BC	NE of Kamiyama	?
1050 ? BC	NE of Kamiyama	?
1200 ? BC	NW side of Kami-yama (Kanmuriga-take)	2
1400 ±100 y. BC	NW side of Kami-yama (Kanmuriga-take)	?
3700 ±100 y. BC	Futago-yama	1
6000 ±100 y. BC	Kami-yama	3

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

Eruptions of Hakone volcano

1991 seismic swarm
On 22 April 1991, 300 earthquakes were recorded 5 km beneath the central part of the caldera, but no eruption has followed.

Hakone Volcano FAQ

+When was the last eruption of Hakone volcano?

The last confirmed eruption of Hakone occurred in 2015.

+How often does Hakone volcano erupt?

There are no known historic eruptions, but evidence from geologic records shows that it has had at least 8 eruptions over the past 10,000 years. This number is likely much higher because many past eruptions might not have left evidence recognizeable today and/or the volcano might not have been studied in too much detail. Using the available data, a very conservative estimate is that Hakone volcano erupts every 1,300 years.

+How active is Hakone volcano at present?

Hakone volcano is occasionally active: Since 1900, it has had one eruption, which occurred in 2015.

+When was the largest eruption of Hakone volcano?

The largest eruption known from the younger geological history of Hakone volcano occurred around 6000 BC. It only has a VEI (Volcanic Explosivity Index) of 1, likely because it was a mainly effusive eruption generating lava flows but very little ash.

Latest satellite images

See also: Sentinel hub | Landsat 8 | NASA FIRMS

Latest satellite images

Hakone Volcano Maps

Below is a selection of maps showing the location and surroundings of the volcano at various resolutions based on aerial-imagery / terrain maps. Feel free to use them for non-commercial purposes on your blog or website as long as you credit them with a link back to this page (click to copy it).