Gas-and-steam plumes emanate from a newly opened, 800-m-long arcuate fissure on Shindake, the summit crater of Japan's Kuchinoerabujima volcano, on 29 September 1980. A brief eruption at the fissure the previous day ejected blocks and ash up to 2 km above the crater. All historical eruptions have occurred from the Shindake crater; ejecta from frequent explosive eruptions since 1840 have sometimes damaged villages near the crater.

Photo courtesy of Japan Meteorological Agency, 1980.

This image is made available under the Creative Commons BY-NC 4.0 license terms.

Galleries: Fissure Vents

Keywords: fissure | vent | volcanic gas | eruption

Kuchinoerabujima