Geologic Background:
A group of young stratovolcanoes forms the
eastern end of Kuchinoerabu-jima island. Furu-dake,
Shin-dake, and Sankakuten-yama were erupted from south to
north, respectively, to form a composite cone that is
parallel to the trend of the Ryukyu Islands. The youngest
cone, Shin-dake, was formed after the NW side of
Furu-dake was breached by an explosion. All historical
eruptions have occurred from Shin-dake, although a lava
flow from the south flank of Furu-dake that reached the
coast has a very fresh morphology.
Historic Activity:
- Shin-dake is the summit cone and vented the 13 known
eruptions that have occurred since 1840.
- Several villages on the 4 x 12 km island are located
within a few kilometers of the active crater of Shindake
and have suffered damage from historical eruptions.
Recent Activity:
- Earthquakes began to increase in January 1996.
January (32), February (40), March (77), April (91), May
(86), June (75), July (25), August (62),
Data Sources:
- Global Volcanism Network (V. 21, No. 3 to V. 24, No.
8).
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