Warning Area Expanded for Volcano in Southwestern Japan

March 10, 2018

Tokyo- The Japan Meteorological Agency expanded on Saturday its warning area from 3 kilometers to 4 kilometers from the crater of Shinmoedake, a volcano in southwestern Japan, after explosive eruptions.

The agency said large ash deposits reached as far as 1.8 kilometers from the crater after an explosive eruption in the small hours of Saturday.

The volcanic alert for Shinmoedake was kept at Level 3, which restricts entry to the volcano, part of the Kirishima mountain range straddling Miyazaki and Kagoshima prefectures.

The agency warned of the possible arrival of large ash deposits within 4 kilometers of the crater and pyroclastic flows within 2 kilometers.

The explosive eruption occurred at 1:54 a.m. (4:54 p.m. Friday GMT), with volcanic smoke reaching as high as 4,500 meters from the crater, the agency said.

After another eruption at 4:27 a.m., ash deposits also reached a point 1.8 kilometers from the crater.

Ground deformation has been observed since around 6 p.m. Friday at a monitoring point on the south side of Shinmoedake. Magma and volcanic gas are believed to be moving underground.

With the daily number of volcanic earthquakes remaining high, at 200 or more, the agency believes that volcanic activity could increase further, officials said.

Lava continued flowing out from the northwest side of the crater, but its speed remained slow and it has yet to spread to a wide area, according to the officials.

The volcanic alert for Shinmoedake was raised to Level 3 from Level 2, which advises people to keep away from the crater, in October last year, when the volcano erupted for the first time in about six years. Jiji Press