Report on Nishinoshima (Japan) — 10 September-16 September 2014
Smithsonian Institution / US Geological Survey
Weekly Volcanic Activity Report, 10 September-16 September 2014
Managing Editor: Sally Sennert.
Please cite this report as:
Global Volcanism Program, 2014. Report on Nishinoshima (Japan) (Sennert, S, ed.). Weekly Volcanic Activity Report, 10 September-16 September 2014. Smithsonian Institution and US Geological Survey.
Nishinoshima
Japan
27.247°N, 140.874°E; summit elev. 100 m
All times are local (unless otherwise noted)
The Tokyo VAAC reported an ash plume from Nishinoshima that rose to an altitude of about 3 km (10,000 ft) a.s.l. and drifted S on 16 September.
The University of Hawaii reported that satellite data from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) resulted in frequent MODVOLC alerts for Nishinoshima, as recently as 11 September.
Geological Summary. The small island of Nishinoshima was enlarged when several new islands coalesced during an eruption in 1973-74. Multiple eruptions that began in 2013 completely covered the previous exposed surface and continued to enlarge the island. The island is the summit of a massive submarine volcano that has prominent peaks to the S, W, and NE. The summit of the southern cone rises to within 214 m of the ocean surface 9 km SSE.
Sources: Hawai'i Institute of Geophysics and Planetology (HIGP) Thermal Alerts Team, Tokyo Volcanic Ash Advisory Center (VAAC)