Volcano Type: Stratovolcano
Volcano Status: Historical
Last Known Eruption: 1785
Summit Elevation: 423 m 1,388 feet
Latitude: 32.454°N 32°27’15″N
Longitude: 139.762°E 139°45’44″E
The small 2.5 x 3.5 km dominantly basaltic island of Aoga-shima is surrounded by steep cliffs and contains a small 1.7 x 1.5-km-wide caldera. Two pyroclastic cones were formed inside the caldera during the volcano’s latest eruption from 1780 to 1785. Growth of Aoga-shima volcano began with construction of the Kurosaki stratovolcano in the NW part of the island, after which the main stratovolcano began growing in the SE part of the island. Both summit and flank vents produced pyroclastic surges and lava flows. Late in the construction of the main cone a 1-1.5 km crater was formed on the SE flank. About 3000 years ago pyroclastic surges swept over the entire island. During about the next 600 years, lava flows and scoria deposits filled the SE crater, which also collapsed repeatedly. The current Ikenosawa crater was considered by Takada et al. (1992) to have formed by ring collapse at the time of a debris avalanche, after which the volcano was quiescent until the eruptions of historical time.
Aoga-shima Top Caldera View
Situated on the same latitude of Miyazaki in Kyushu, Aogashima is a subtropic paradise with a mild, humid climate under the influence of the Kuroshio warm current, and home for many different wild birds. The last known volcanic eruption of Aogashima in the late 18th century killed many villagers and forced the entire population to evacuate from the island. It took them almost fifty years to return to the island.
Aoga-shima Aerial View
Port of Aogashima Island, Izu Islands, Japan
Aoga-shima Photo by Richard Fiske (Smithsonian Institution)
Location of Aoga-shima volcano in the Island
Originally posted 2010-08-16 08:26:19.
