Aso (volcano)
| Aso | ||
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 The active Naka-dake crater |
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| height | 1592 m | |
| location | Kyushu , Japan | |
| Coordinates | 32 ° 53 '6 " N , 131 ° 6' 15" E | |
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| Type | Caldera | |
| Last eruption | 2011, ongoing | |
 The Aso Caldera (source: SRTM data ) |
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The Aso ( Japanese 阿蘇 山 Aso-san ) is a volcano in the east of Kumamoto Prefecture on the Japanese island of Kyūshū . It consists of a caldera and several volcanic cones that formed in the caldera.
The caldera with an extension of 25 kilometers in north-south and 18 kilometers in east-west was formed in four major eruptions 300,000 to 90,000 years ago. The eruption around 90,000 years ago is cited as a possible example of a "super eruption", a term associated with so-called super volcanoes . During the eruptions, pyroclastic currents formed , the deposits of which covered large parts of the island of Kyūshū.
The soft volcanic rock was used in the Kofun period as a material for grave statues (" Haniwa "). In the north of the caldera is the city of Aso .
After the caldera collapsed, 17 volcanic cones formed in its center, including the Taka-dake (1592 meters), the Naka-dake (1506 meters), the Neko-dake (1433 meters), the Kishima-dake (1362 meters) and others the Eboshi-dake (1337 meters).
Naka-dake
The only active crater in historical times is the Naka-dake; it is one of the most active volcanoes in Japan. Mostly they are smaller eruptions, often in the form of phreatic explosions . A lake has formed in the crater .
The crater is located in the Aso Kujū National Park and is one of the most popular tourist destinations on the island of Kyūshū. It can be reached by public transport. At the edge of the crater there are parking spaces and viewing platforms that are accessible via two cable cars and a toll road. Concrete shelters on the crater rim are supposed to offer protection in the event of sudden eruptions.
People died repeatedly in eruptions of the Naka-dake: in 1957, 12 employees of the cable car company were killed. In 1979, three tourists were killed by blocks thrown from the crater. Toxic gases killed two tourists in November 1997; between 1980 and 1997, seven other people are said to have died of gas poisoning.
Final outbreaks
After 1997, an outbreak occurred in September 2015.
On October 8, 2016 at 1:46 am local time , an 11 km high ash column formed. The JMA warned of heavy ash rain up to 30 km to the northeast of the volcano. Lighter ash rain fell up to 250 km away. The power went out in 29,000 houses in Aso city ; this provided 10 emergency shelters. There are no reports of injuries.
Web links
- Aso in the Global Volcanism Program of the Smithsonian Institution (English)
- Aso page of a travel guide
Individual evidence
- ↑ Calvin Miller, Dave Wark, Steve Self, Steve Blake, Dave John: (Potentially) Frequently Asked Questions About Supervolcanoes and Supereruptions. (PDF; 969 kB) In: Elements , February 2008, p. 16 (English).
- ↑ Small ash-bearing eruptions during May and to lesser extent in June 2011. Monthly report 09/2011 in the Global Volcanism Program. (English, accessed March 2, 2013).
- ^ Entry in The Significant Volcanic Eruption Database of NOAA (English, accessed on March 2, 2013).
- ^ Entry in The Significant Volcanic Eruption Database of NOAA (English, accessed on March 2, 2013).
- ↑ Two tourists killed by volcanic gas on November 23. Monthly report 11/1997 in the Global Volcanism Program. (English, accessed March 2, 2013).
- ↑ Volcanic eruption in Japan: residents warned of heavy ash rain. bz-berlin.de, October 8, 2016.
- ↑ Volcano erupted in Japan. faz.net, October 8, 2016.
- ^ Residents warned as Mount Aso volcano rumbles to life. In: The Japan Times . October 8, 2016.