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 Image satellite du volcan Sakura Jima (c) Google Earth View
stratovolcano 1117 m / 3,665 ft
Kyushu, Japan, 31.59°N / 130.66°E
Current status: erupting (4 out of 5)
Sakurajima volcano eruptions:
1955-ongoing, 1954(?), 1950, 1948, 1946, 1942, 1941, 1940, 1939, 1938, 1935, 1914-15, 1899(?), 1860, 1799, 1797, 1794, 1792, 1791, 1790, 1785, 1783, 1782, 1779-81, 1756, 1749, 1742, 1706, 1678, 1670(?), 1642, 1478, 1471-76, 1468, 778, 766, 764, 716-18, 712(?), 708
Typical eruption style:Explosive
Sakurajima volcano tours: Sakurajima Volcano Special (5-day volcano expedition to observe Sakurajima volcano's activity from close)
Sakurajima volcano news
Wed, 11 Nov 2015, 17:07
Activity at the volcano remains comparably low. During 2-6 November, only two small-scale eruptions occurred at the Showa Crater. Alert level is kept at 3 out of 5.
Fri, 6 Nov 2015, 06:15
Activity remains low. Only small-scale explosions occurred during the past weeks from the Showa crater. The Alert Level remains at 3 (out of 5).
Fri, 23 Oct 2015, 05:12
The volcano has been relatively calm during the past weeks. JMA reported small explosions at the Showa crater during 13-16 October. Read more...The Alert Level remained at 3 (on a 5-level scale). [ less] Fri, 4 Sep 2015, 08:43
Eruption from Sakurajima volcano this morning After 3 weeks with almost no or no significant explosions, the volcano seems to be back in its typical state of activity that has been going on for years (but been quite elevated during the past years in comparison): intermittent small to moderately sized vulcanian-type explosions from the Showa crater have resumed since 1 Sep, producing ash plumes that rose to heights of 5-9,000 ft (1.5 - 2.7 km) altitude. Read more...
Thu, 3 Sep 2015, 06:50
The alert level was downgraded back to 3 (out of 5) last Tuesday as signs of unrest and the risk of a sudden major explosion have decreased. Read more...No rapid crustal movements have been detected since 17 August, suggesting that the inferred magma intrusion has stopped and is now stagnating & cooling instead of migrating further towards the surface. The volcano continues to be unusually calm with only minor explosions and ash emissions occurring occasionally from the Showa crater. [ less] Mon, 24 Aug 2015, 08:27
The likelihood of a feared larger eruption seems to be decreasing as the volcano has slowly been resuming small explosive activity and shots of the crater show the presence of fresh lava. Read more...This could mean that the conduit is not as strongly blocked as feared and could allow the volcano to return to a more regular eruption style, where pressure is released more gradually. Drone successfully shoots of magma from the crater of Sakurajima #volcano #Japan pic.twitter.com/q1AYyDxdsX c @sumomo_2 #travel— Britannia PR (@Britanniacomms) August 22, 2015 [ less] Fri, 21 Aug 2015, 11:32
The blocked Showa crater of Sakurajima (image: Asahi Shimbun) According to Japanese scientists, the scenario of a major eruption at the volcano is becoming more and more likely. The Asahi Shimbun news agency sent a drone to photograph the crater, confirming that a flat dome is currently blocking the conduit. Read more... read all
Fri, 21 Aug 2015, 09:04
Sakurajima's lava dome inside Showa crater A pancake-shaped flat dome of lava has been detected inside the Showa summit crater. This type of dome is typical for moderately viscous and gas-poor lava (typically andesitic composition) extruded at subduction-zone stratovolcanoes. Read more...The alert level of the volcano remains at 4 out of 5. One possibility is that the dome corresponds to older lava from the upper conduit that has been pushed out by a rising batch of fresher lava still inside the volcano. [ less]
Wed, 19 Aug 2015, 15:45
More worrying signs of volcanic unrest started to appear: according to FNN News, volcanic gas releases have been detected at the sea floor of the Futatsumata Port on the northern shore of Sakurajima peninsula (located approx 4 km from summit).
Wed, 19 Aug 2015, 12:40
Inferometry map of Sakurajima showing large deformation (inflation) of the summit area The most recent radar measurements done by ALOS-2 satellite of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) show that the summit of the volcano has inflated by the enormous amount of approx. 16 cm during the interval 4 Jan - 17 August this year. Read more...This suggests that a significant batch of new magma is currently stored in the volcano's upper plumbing system and the question remains when and how it might erupt. While surface activity at the volcano has remained very calm, authorities continue to prepare for the possible scenario of a major eruption in the near future. [ less]
Tue, 18 Aug 2015, 13:26
Activity has actually decreased and been relatively low at the volcano during the past days. However, the risk of a major eruption remains according to the Japan Meteorological Agency who maintains alert level 4 (preparation for evacuation).
Sun, 16 Aug 2015, 10:42
Seismic signal of Sakurajima's SKRB station on 15 Aug (V-NET) Japanese volcanologist monitoring the volcano warned that a larger eruption could occur in the near future. The alert level of the volcano was raised to the second highest, 4 out of 5, meaning that preparations for evacuations of nearby areas (within a few km from the Showa crater) are in progress. Read more...The alert was based on a strong swarm of shallow volcanic earthquakes located beneath the Showa crater. The seismic swarm started around 7 am on 15 Aug (local time), and peaked with almost 180 quakes per hour around noon. It gradually waned, but continues with weaker intensity until now. At the same time, a significant inflation of the Showa crater has been detected. These both are likely caused by the rising of a new batch of magma, which could result in a larger-then-usual eruption. [ less]
Mon, 22 Jun 2015, 16:43
The volcano remains highly active, producing regularly 5-10 or even more vulanian-type explosions on a daily basis. A few hours ago, JMA recorded the 650th this year alone.
Fri, 29 May 2015, 07:01
After having been comparably calm the past days, the volcano started a series of strong explosions this morning. Ash plumes rose to reported 14,20,000 ft altitude. Read more...The eruptions were followed by long phases of mild to moderate, continuous jets of ash. [ less] Fri, 22 May 2015, 07:03
Strong explosion at Sakurajima yesterday A peak of activity occurred yesterday, with two strong explosions that produced ash plums that rose to 17,000 ft / 5 km altitude. Read more...The activity was followed by continues, noisy smaller explosions and ash venting which lasted and slowly decreased during the night. Today, two normal-sized explosions have taken place so far. [ less] Wed, 20 May 2015, 01:14
Strong eruption from Sakurajima at 17:32 local time on 17 May, welcoming us on arrival After a very busy 17 May, with several strong explosions sending ash plumes to up to 16,000 ft (4.5 km) altitude, the volcano has been relatively calm during 18 and most of 19 May. Read more...A filming team of VolcanoDiscovery being on location, we could observe hour-long phases of near-continuous mild to moderate ash venting. After approx. 10 hours of almost no visible activity, a probably strong explosion occurred yesterday night at around 11 pm, lasting several minutes, producing numerous lightning and heavy ash fall on the eastern sector. Cloud cover prevented detailed observations. [ less]
Tue, 12 May 2015, 19:13
Eruption plume from Sakurajima this evening The volcano remains in a very active state, with up to 10 or more vulcanian-type explosions occurring per day ( see list). Read more...Ash plumes from these eruptions have been rising to 9-15,000 ft (2.7-4.5 km) altitude. [ less] Mon, 27 Apr 2015, 08:36
Ash plume from Sakurajima's explosion this morning Strong activity continues from the volcano. This morning (14:24 local time), an explosion at the Showa crater sent a plume to 15,000 ft (4.5 km) altitude that drifted north.
Sat, 25 Apr 2015, 08:44
Ash plume from Sakurajima this morning Strong vulcanian explosions have been occurring at the volcano, which remains in a state of elevated activity. Read more...During the past 48 hours, at least 17 explosions with ash plumes up to 16,000 ft (5 km) altitude occurred. This approaches the record levels of activity observed during the summer 2013. [ less] Wed, 22 Apr 2015, 09:52
The volcano has been very active recently. Vulcanian-type explosions have been frequent (2-8 per day) and often relatively large. Read more...On 15 April, at least 8 explosions occurred, the largest of which produced ash plumes that rose to 15,000 ft (4.5 km altitude), i.e. 3.5 km above the volcano's summit. [ less]
Fri, 27 Mar 2015, 19:14
The volcano is currently in a very active phase. During the past 24 hours alone, at least 14 vulcanian explosions occurred, the largest of which produced ash plumes that rose to 11-13,000 ft (3-4 km) altitude.
Wed, 18 Mar 2015, 08:08
The volcano remains in a very active phase with 5-10 daily explosions. An eruption on 16 March produced an ash plume to 14,000 ft (4.2 km) altitude, i.e. rising approx. 3 km above the Showa crater.
Wed, 11 Mar 2015, 11:41
The volcano continues to produce frequent strombolian to vulcanian-type explosions, often accompanied by long-lasting periods of ash emissions. Read more...Our friends Marc Szlegat and Martin Rietze visited the volcano last week. Some impressions of this activity can be seen on this page. [ less] Wed, 4 Mar 2015, 15:47
Ash plume from Sakurajima this morning drifting east The volcano has had at least 7 explosions during the past 24 hours, including 3 which produced ash plumes to 10-12,000 ft (3-3.6 km) altitude. Most ash drifted to easterly directions, causing lots of light ash fall in that sector.
Thu, 19 Feb 2015, 18:11
36 explosions occurred from Showa Crater during 9-13 February and ejected tephra as far as 1,300 m. Read more...Incandescence from the crater was visible at night during 9-11 February, and inflation continued to be detected. The Alert Level remained at 3 (on a scale of 1-5). The Tokyo VAAC reported that during 11-17 February plumes rose to altitudes of 1.8-3.7 km (6,000-12,000 ft) a.s.l. and drifted E and SE. On 17 February pilots observed ash plumes that rose to an altitude of 2.4 km (8,000 ft) a.s.l. and drifted SE. (Smithsonian / USGS Weekly Volcanic Activity Report 11-17 February 2015) [ less] Fri, 13 Feb 2015, 16:12
The volcano has been comparably active during the past days. Yesterday, 8 vulcanian explosions were reported. Today, an explosion occurred producing a plume rising to 10,000 ft (3.6 km) altitude.
Sat, 24 Jan 2015, 11:17
Mild explosive activity from Sakurajima today An unusually strong explosion occurred yesterday at 20:36 local time. VAAC Tokyo reported an ash plume to 16,000 ft (5 km) altitude. Today, the volcano has been much calmer with only a few smaller eruptions and phases of ash emissions.
Tue, 20 Jan 2015, 11:02
Ash column from an eruption at Sakurajima yesterday The volcano remains in a comparably active phase (compared to most of past year), producing 1-5 vulcanian explosions per day. Read more...Ash plumes have been reaching 8-11,000 ft (2.4-3.3 km) altitude, i.e. 1-2.5 km above the crater. [ less]
Mon, 5 Jan 2015, 20:35
Ash plume from Sakurajima volcano this morning The volcano is starting the new year with a phase of comparably intense activity. During the past few days, about 6-8 vulcanian explosions have occurred each day, often with ash plumes exceeding 10,000 ft (3 km) altitude. Read more...Milder, but near constant ash emissions occur during most of the intervals between the explosions. Video: [ less]
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