After four years of quiet, a brief, weak explosion produced a [2-3-km-high] ash cloud on 28 September at 0510. Ash fell on the sea [SW] of the volcano, missing the homes of the 12 x 5 km island's 300 residents. Activity after the explosion was limited to emission of white vapor through the end of September. Minor ash explosions have occurred in seven different years since 1966.

Geological Summary. A group of young stratovolcanoes forms the eastern end of the irregularly shaped island of Kuchinoerabujima in the northern Ryukyu Islands, 15 km W of Yakushima. The Furudake, Shindake, and Noikeyama cones were erupted from south to north, respectively, forming a composite cone with multiple craters. All historical eruptions have occurred from Shindake, although a lava flow from the S flank of Furudake that reached the coast has a very fresh morphology. Frequent explosive eruptions have taken place from Shindake since 1840; the largest of these was in December 1933. Several villages on the 4 x 12 km island are located within a few kilometers of the active crater and have suffered damage from eruptions.

Information Contacts: JMA, Tokyo.