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Kuttara

Photo of this volcano
  • Japan
  • Stratovolcano(es)
  • 1820 CE
  •  
  • Country
  • Primary Volcano Type
  • Last Known Eruption
  •  
  • 42.491°N
  • 141.16°E

  • 549 m
    1801 ft

  • 285034
  • Latitude
  • Longitude

  • Summit
    Elevation

  • Volcano
    Number

The Global Volcanism Program has no activity reports for Kuttara.

The Global Volcanism Program has no Weekly Reports available for Kuttara.

The Global Volcanism Program has no Bulletin Reports available for Kuttara.

This compilation of synonyms and subsidiary features may not be comprehensive. Features are organized into four major categories: Cones, Craters, Domes, and Thermal Features. Synonyms of features appear indented below the primary name. In some cases additional feature type, elevation, or location details are provided.

Eruptive History

There is data available for 3 confirmed Holocene eruptive periods.

1820 ± 100 years Confirmed Eruption Max VEI: 1

Episode 1 | Eruption Episode West flank (Jigoku-dani)
1820 ± 100 years - Unknown Evidence from Correlation: Tephrochronology

List of 2 Events for Episode 1 at West flank (Jigoku-dani)

Start Date End Date Event Type Event Remarks
   - - - -    - - - - Phreatic activity weak or small
1820 ± 100 years    - - - - VEI (Explosivity Index)

0200 ± 75 years Confirmed Eruption  

Episode 1 | Eruption Episode
0200 ± 75 years - Unknown Evidence from Isotopic: 14C (calibrated)

List of 2 Events for Episode 1

Start Date End Date Event Type Event Remarks
   - - - -    - - - - Explosion
   - - - -    - - - - Phreatic activity

8050 BCE (?) Confirmed Eruption  

Episode 1 | Eruption Episode Hiyori-yama lava dome
8050 BCE (?) - Unknown Evidence from Correlation: Tephrochronology

List of 1 Events for Episode 1 at Hiyori-yama lava dome

Start Date End Date Event Type Event Remarks
   - - - -    - - - - Lava dome
Deformation History

There is no Deformation History data available for Kuttara.

Emission History

There is no Emissions History data available for Kuttara.

Photo Gallery

Steam rises from the Kuttara volcano Jigokudani thermal area, which contains active fumaroles, hot springs, hot pools, and mud pots. These high-rise hotels have been constructed on the western flank.

Photo by Tom Simkin, 1981 (Smithsonian Institution).
Hiyoriyama lava dome (left) was extruded during late stages of the eruption that produced the Oyunuma crater in the foreground. The dome is mantled by a thin layer of older sediments and breccias that were baked during uplift of the dome. The crater is 300-400 m wide and filled with hot water.

Photo by Tom Simkin, 1981 (Smithsonian Institution).
This view shows large areas of hydrothermally altered ground at the Jigokudani ("Valley of Hell") thermal area of Kuttara volcano. Jigokudani is a 300-500 m crater that formed on the W flank of Kuttara.

Photo by Tom Simkin, 1981 (Smithsonian Institution).
Lake Kuttara fills the 3-km-wide Kuttara caldera, which formed during major late-Pleistocene explosive eruptions. Pumice-rich pyroclastic flow deposits from this eruption cover a wide area around the volcano. Post-caldera volcanism constructed a group of explosion craters and a lava dome on the W flank. A phreatic explosion at one of the W-flank craters postdates the 1663 CE eruption of nearby Usu volcano.

Photo by Mihoko Moriizumi, 1995 (Hokkaido University).
Kuttara volcano, seen here from Shiraoi town, is a low cone that has a 3-km-wide caldera at its summit. The caldera formed during the late Pleistocene, but minor explosions occurred from a crater in a western-flank thermal area as recently as about 200 years ago.

Photo by Mihoko Moriizumi, 1995 (Hokkaido University).
Kuttara volcano consists of a 3-km-wide, lake-filled caldera seen here from the W, near the Pacific coast of Hokkaido. Post-caldera eruptions have produced a series of explosion craters on the west flank. Thermal activity associated with these craters has produced large areas of hydrothermally altered ground seen at the bottom of the photo. The resort town of Noboribetsu Spa is visible at the lower center.

Photo by Yoshio Katsui, 1996 (Hokkaido University).
The 3-km-wide Kuttara caldera formed 40,000 years ago and contains Lake Kuttara, shown in this September 2019 Planet Labs satellite image monthly mosaic (N is at the top). The complex also contains cones, domes, and craters, and has ongoing geothermal activity. The Noboribetsu geothermal field and the Hiyoriyama Cryptodome are on the W flank, approximately 1.3 km from the lake edge in this view.

Satellite image courtesy of Planet Labs Inc., 2019 (https://www.planet.com/).
GVP Map Holdings

The maps shown below have been scanned from the GVP map archives and include the volcano on this page. Clicking on the small images will load the full 300 dpi map. Very small-scale maps (such as world maps) are not included. The maps database originated over 30 years ago, but was only recently updated and connected to our main database. We welcome users to tell us if they see incorrect information or other problems with the maps; please use the Contact GVP link at the bottom of the page to send us email.

Smithsonian Sample Collections Database

The following 4 samples associated with this volcano can be found in the Smithsonian's NMNH Department of Mineral Sciences collections, and may be availble for research (contact the Rock and Ore Collections Manager). Catalog number links will open a window with more information.

Catalog Number Sample Description Lava Source Collection Date
NMNH 112876 Hornblende Dacite NOBORIBETSU THERMAL AREA --
NMNH 112876 Hornblende Dacite NOBORIBETSU THERMAL AREA --
NMNH 112877 Andesite NOBORIBETSU THERMAL AREA --
NMNH 112877 Andesite NOBORIBETSU THERMAL AREA --
External Sites