Report on Izu-Oshima (Japan) — September 1986
Scientific Event Alert Network Bulletin, vol. 11, no. 9 (September 1986)
Managing Editor: Lindsay McClelland.
Izu-Oshima (Japan) More earthquakes; continued tremor; rumbling
Please cite this report as:
Global Volcanism Program, 1986. Report on Izu-Oshima (Japan) (McClelland, L., ed.). Scientific Event Alert Network Bulletin, 11:9. Smithsonian Institution. https://doi.org/10.5479/si.GVP.SEAN198609-284010.
Izu-Oshima
Japan
34.724°N, 139.394°E; summit elev. 758 m
All times are local (unless otherwise noted)
A seismic station ~5 km N of the crater recorded 354 earthquakes in September, a marked increase from 41 in August (table 2). Nine events were felt at the Oshima weather station in September, the largest a M 4.0 shock accompanied by rumbling on 11 September at 2146. Earthquake swarms were recorded 11-13 and 26-27 September, with epicenters on the W and N coasts of the island respectively. Volcanic tremor with maximum amplitude of 0.7-0.8 µm continued throughout the month.
Table 2. Number of local earthquakes recorded by a seismic station about 5 km N of the crater at Oshima, April-September 1986. Courtesy of JMA.
Month | Earthquakes |
Apr 1986 | 695 |
May 1986 | 24 |
Jun 1986 | 21 |
Jul 1986 | 10 |
Aug 1986 | 41 |
Sep 1986 | 354 |
The previous earthquake swarms were redorded in 1877, 1983, and most recently 16-24 August 1985, when almost 300 events with a maximum magnitude of 2.9 occurred just beyond the NW part of the somma.
Geologic Background. Izu-Oshima volcano in Sagami Bay, east of the Izu Peninsula, is the northernmost of the Izu Islands. The broad, low stratovolcano forms an 11 x 13 km island and was constructed over the remnants of three dissected stratovolcanoes. It is capped by a 4-km-wide caldera with a central cone, Miharayama, that has been the site of numerous historical eruptions. More than 40 cones are located within the caldera and along two parallel rift zones trending NNW-SSE. Although it is a dominantly basaltic volcano, strong explosive activity has occurred at intervals of 100-150 years throughout the past few thousand years. Historical activity dates back to the 7th century CE. A major eruption in 1986 produced spectacular lava fountains up to 1600 m height and a 16-km-high eruption column; more than 12,000 people were evacuated from the island.
Information Contacts: JMA.