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Chachadake [Tiatia]

Photo of this volcano
  • Country
  • Volcanic Region
  • Landform | Volc Type
  • Last Known Eruption
  • 44.353°N
  • 146.252°E

  • 1,822 m
    5,978 ft

  • 290030
  • Latitude
  • Longitude

  • Summit
    Elevation

  • Volcano
    Number

Most Recent Weekly Report: 29 August-4 September 2012 Citation IconCite this Report

SVERT reported that a weak thermal anomaly over Tiatia was detected in satellite images on 1 September. The Aviation Color Code remained at Yellow.

Source: Sakhalin Volcanic Eruption Response Team (SVERT)


Most Recent Bulletin Report: July 2010 (BGVN 35:07) Citation IconCite this Report

Thermal anomalies detected during February-June 2010

No eruptive or thermal activity is known on Tiatia between 1988 and the beginning of 2010, but thermal anomalies began in February 2010. During its last activity, in 1988, Tiatia displayed steaming in many parts of the crater (SEAN 13:11). The volcano, whose alternate names include Tyatya and Chacha-dake, sits near the NE margin of Kunashir Island (figures 1-3).

Figure (see Caption) Figure 1. A map showing the location of Tiatia volcano very near the southern end of the Kurile island chain. For scale, NE-trending Kunashir Island is 123 km long. Tiatia and the city of Sapporo (on the NW side of Hokkaido Island, Japan) are ~ 600 km apart.
Figure (see Caption) Figure 2. Two aerial views of Tiatia disclose its striking morphology. (left) View in 1973 showing the symmetrical caldera rim, which encircles an axially symmetrical inner cone with a broken top; scoria cones lie on the SE slope (mid- to foreground). (right) Viewed from the S in 2008 on a clear day. Courtesy of volcanologist Anatoly Khrenov (1973 photo) and blogger Udachnik (2008 photo).
Figure (see Caption) Figure 3. An ASTER image of Tiatia taken on 29 June 2006 shows considerable snow surrounding the crater and down the caldera's flanks. Where visible, the slopes generally appear densely vegetated, except for the crater, some upslope areas, and around minor cones on the lower right and upper center. N is towards the top; the summit caldera is ~ 2 km in diameter. Courtesy of Aster Volcano Archive.

According to the Sakhalin Volcanic Eruption Response Team (SVERT), thermal anomalies were detected during 2010 by satellite on 9 February, 31 May, 10 June, 19 June, and 25 June. Tiatia lacks a local seismic instrument and satellites are the primary tool used for monitoring. The satellites used in detecting these anomalies was not identified. MODVOLC thermal alerts were absent, a circumstance that could be explained by their reasonably high threshold in order to minimize the mis-identification of thermal activity.

Information Contacts: Sakhalin Volcanic Eruption Response Team (SVERT), Alexander Rybin, IMGG FEB RAS, Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk (URL: http://www.imgg.ru/); The ASTER Volcano Archive (AVA), NASA Jet Propulsion Lab, California Institute of Technology (URL: http://ava.jpl.nasa.gov/volcano.asp); Hawai'i Institute of Geophysics and Planetology (HIGP) Thermal Alerts System, School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology (SOEST), Univ. of Hawai'i, 2525 Correa Road, Honolulu, HI 96822, USA (URL: http://modis.higp.hawaii.edu/); Udachnik (URL: http://dirty.ru/comments/245960).

Weekly Reports - Index


2012: August
2010: February | June


29 August-4 September 2012 Citation IconCite this Report

SVERT reported that a weak thermal anomaly over Tiatia was detected in satellite images on 1 September. The Aviation Color Code remained at Yellow.

Source: Sakhalin Volcanic Eruption Response Team (SVERT)


30 June-6 July 2010 Citation IconCite this Report

SVERT reported that a thermal anomaly from Tiatia volcano was detected by satellite on 25 June.

Source: Sakhalin Volcanic Eruption Response Team (SVERT)


16 June-22 June 2010 Citation IconCite this Report

SVERT reported that a thermal anomaly from Tiatia, a volcano on NE Kunashir Island, was detected by satellite on 19 June. Tiatia does not have a seismic network; satellite image observations are the primary tool for monitoring many of the Kuril Islands volcanoes.

Source: Sakhalin Volcanic Eruption Response Team (SVERT)


9 June-15 June 2010 Citation IconCite this Report

SVERT reported that a thermal anomaly from Tiatia was detected by satellite on 10 June. Tiatia does not have a seismic network; satellite image observations are the primary tool for monitoring many of the Kurile Islands volcanoes.

Source: Sakhalin Volcanic Eruption Response Team (SVERT)


2 June-8 June 2010 Citation IconCite this Report

SVERT reported that a thermal anomaly from Tiatia was detected by satellite on 31 May. Tiatia does not have a seismic network; satellite image observations are the primary tool for monitoring many of the Kurile Islands volcanoes.

Source: Sakhalin Volcanic Eruption Response Team (SVERT)


10 February-16 February 2010 Citation IconCite this Report

SVERT reported that a weak thermal anomaly from Tiatia was detected by satellite on 9 February.

Source: Sakhalin Volcanic Eruption Response Team (SVERT)


Bulletin Reports - Index

Reports are organized chronologically and indexed below by Month/Year (Publication Volume:Number), and include a one-line summary. Click on the index link or scroll down to read the reports.

07/1973 (CSLP 92-73) Frequent explosions generate 5-km-high plume and cause ashfall

07/1978 (SEAN 03:07) 600-m vapor column

08/1978 (SEAN 03:08) Explosion sound and vapor cloud

07/1981 (SEAN 06:07) Vapor emission and glow

12/1981 (SEAN 06:12) Moderate fumarolic activity from the summit crater

11/1988 (SEAN 13:11) Fumarolic activity

07/2010 (BGVN 35:07) Thermal anomalies detected during February-June 2010




Information is preliminary and subject to change. All times are local (unless otherwise noted)


July 1973 (CSLP 92-73)

Frequent explosions generate 5-km-high plume and cause ashfall

Card 1677 (16 July 1973) Loud explosions and heavy local ashfall

The Tiatia volcano began erupting several months ago . . . . During the current activity a crater has formed at the foothills of the eastern slope and is ejecting ash at 1-second intervals. The eruption cloud reaches a height of 5 km above the summit, and flames can be observed at night. The explosions are audible up to a distance of 50 km from the volcano, and the depth of ash near the volcano measures up to 60 cm thick.

Card 1684 (27 July 1973) Eruption cloud rises to 5-6 km; explosions every 40-60 seconds

After lying dormant since 1812, [Tiatia] erupted on 14 July. The volcano has been continually throwing out fire and ash every 1.5-2 minutes, and the color of the island changed from green to a dirty gray in the space of two days.

This eruption . . . was preceded by a series of earthquakes of considerable magnitude. A very strong shock occurred on 17 June, and a second, stronger earthquake followed a week later.

On the second day of the eruption it was observed that the eruption cloud reached a height of 5,000-6,000 m, and that the explosions were occurring every 40-60 seconds.

Information Contacts:
Card 1677 (16 July 1973) Y. M. Doubik, IV.
Card 1684 (27 July 1973) Y. M. Doubik, IV.


July 1978 (SEAN 03:07) Citation IconCite this Report

600-m vapor column

The crew of a JMSA patrol boat observed a white vapor column rising about 600 m above the summit of Tiatia on the morning of [21] July. Tiatia last erupted in 1973, after 161 years of quiet. [Increased thermal activity between 1974 and 1977 melted snow and emitted vapor plumes but produced no tephra (Markhinin, 1984).]

Further Reference. Markhinin, E.K., 1984, On the state of Kunashir Island volcanoes (March, 1974-May, 1982): Volcanology and Seismology, v. 5, no. 1, p. 45-52 (English translation); 1983, no. 1, p. 43-51 (in Russian).

Information Contacts: Reuters.


August 1978 (SEAN 03:08) Citation IconCite this Report

Explosion sound and vapor cloud

Residents of the E end of Hokkaido heard an explosion on 20 July at 1325. The explosion was not recorded by seismographs or microbarographs in E Hokkaido. Tiatia, approximately 50 km to the E, was obscured by fog. The next morning, the crew of the JMSA ship Kunasiri observed a white cloud rising 600 m from Tiatia, but heard no explosions. No ashfall was found (in Japan) on 20 or 21 July.

Information Contacts: JMA, Tokyo.


July 1981 (SEAN 06:07) Citation IconCite this Report

Vapor emission and glow

The crew of a Japanese fishing boat cruising near Kunashir Island observed "smoke" rising from Tiatia on 10 June. During the night of 24 June, an orange glare was observed in the direction of the volcano from [JMA's Nemuro Weather Station], 120 km away. No additional activity has been reported.

Information Contacts: Kyodo Radio, Tokyo.


December 1981 (SEAN 06:12) Citation IconCite this Report

Moderate fumarolic activity from the summit crater

"Aerial inspection on 20 September of the volcanoes in the S and central Kuril Islands revealed that Tiatia's summit crater was in a state of moderate fumarolic activity. No individual distinct fumaroles were observed; vapor was being released from the whole crater surface. Numerous vapor sites were also noticed on the outer slopes near the summit crater. There were no remarkable changes near the volcano summit as compared to 1977-78. A certain increase in heat activity was observed near the subordinate vent (formed in 1973) on the S slope. Heat flow measurements made in the vent in 1981 by A. Zemtsov and A. Tron yielded values of q = 7.4 and W/m2 = 1.77 cal/cm2s, 1.2 times as large as in 1978. Orange glare was observed by people in Yuzhno-Kurilsk, 50 km SW of the volcano, but we are not sure that it was related to volcanic activity."

Information Contacts: G. Steinberg, Sakhalin Complex Institute.


November 1988 (SEAN 13:11) Citation IconCite this Report

Fumarolic activity

Fumarolic activity in the summit crater remained at the same level. Steaming ground was observed in many parts of the crater, but well-formed fumaroles were not evident. The intensity of steam release increases when atmospheric pressure drops and after precipitation. Tiatia's last reported activity ejected a 1-1.5-km-high white steam column in February 1982.

Information Contacts: G. Steinberg, Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk.


July 2010 (BGVN 35:07) Citation IconCite this Report

Thermal anomalies detected during February-June 2010

No eruptive or thermal activity is known on Tiatia between 1988 and the beginning of 2010, but thermal anomalies began in February 2010. During its last activity, in 1988, Tiatia displayed steaming in many parts of the crater (SEAN 13:11). The volcano, whose alternate names include Tyatya and Chacha-dake, sits near the NE margin of Kunashir Island (figures 1-3).

Figure (see Caption) Figure 1. A map showing the location of Tiatia volcano very near the southern end of the Kurile island chain. For scale, NE-trending Kunashir Island is 123 km long. Tiatia and the city of Sapporo (on the NW side of Hokkaido Island, Japan) are ~ 600 km apart.
Figure (see Caption) Figure 2. Two aerial views of Tiatia disclose its striking morphology. (left) View in 1973 showing the symmetrical caldera rim, which encircles an axially symmetrical inner cone with a broken top; scoria cones lie on the SE slope (mid- to foreground). (right) Viewed from the S in 2008 on a clear day. Courtesy of volcanologist Anatoly Khrenov (1973 photo) and blogger Udachnik (2008 photo).
Figure (see Caption) Figure 3. An ASTER image of Tiatia taken on 29 June 2006 shows considerable snow surrounding the crater and down the caldera's flanks. Where visible, the slopes generally appear densely vegetated, except for the crater, some upslope areas, and around minor cones on the lower right and upper center. N is towards the top; the summit caldera is ~ 2 km in diameter. Courtesy of Aster Volcano Archive.

According to the Sakhalin Volcanic Eruption Response Team (SVERT), thermal anomalies were detected during 2010 by satellite on 9 February, 31 May, 10 June, 19 June, and 25 June. Tiatia lacks a local seismic instrument and satellites are the primary tool used for monitoring. The satellites used in detecting these anomalies was not identified. MODVOLC thermal alerts were absent, a circumstance that could be explained by their reasonably high threshold in order to minimize the mis-identification of thermal activity.

Information Contacts: Sakhalin Volcanic Eruption Response Team (SVERT), Alexander Rybin, IMGG FEB RAS, Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk (URL: http://www.imgg.ru/); The ASTER Volcano Archive (AVA), NASA Jet Propulsion Lab, California Institute of Technology (URL: http://ava.jpl.nasa.gov/volcano.asp); Hawai'i Institute of Geophysics and Planetology (HIGP) Thermal Alerts System, School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology (SOEST), Univ. of Hawai'i, 2525 Correa Road, Honolulu, HI 96822, USA (URL: http://modis.higp.hawaii.edu/); Udachnik (URL: http://dirty.ru/comments/245960).

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 4 confirmed Holocene eruptive periods.

[ 1982 Feb 10 - 1982 Feb 14 ] Uncertain Eruption

Episode 1 | Eruption
1982 Feb 10 - 1982 Feb 14 Evidence from Unknown

List of 2 Events for Episode 1

Start Date End Date Event Type Event Remarks
   - - - -    - - - - Phreatic activity Uncertain
1982 Feb 10    - - - - VEI (Explosivity Index)

1981 Jun 10 - 1981 Jun 25 Confirmed Eruption VEI: 2 (?)

Episode 1 | Eruption
1981 Jun 10 - 1981 Jun 25 Evidence from Observations: Reported

List of 3 Events for Episode 1

Start Date End Date Event Type Event Remarks
   - - - -    - - - - Explosion
   - - - -    - - - - Lightning
1981 Jun 10    - - - - VEI (Explosivity Index)

1978 Jul 20 Confirmed Eruption VEI: 2

Episode 1 | Eruption
1978 Jul 20 - Unknown Evidence from Observations: Reported

List of 2 Events for Episode 1

Start Date End Date Event Type Event Remarks
   - - - -    - - - - Phreatic activity
1978 Jul 20    - - - - VEI (Explosivity Index)

[ 1974 Jul 2 ± 182 days - 1975 Jul 2 ± 182 days ] Discredited Eruption

1973 Jul 14 - 1973 Jul 28 Confirmed Eruption VEI: 4

Episode 1 | Eruption NNW and SSE flanks
1973 Jul 14 - 1973 Jul 28 Evidence from Observations: Reported

List of 6 Events for Episode 1 at NNW and SSE flanks

Start Date End Date Event Type Event Remarks
   - - - -    - - - - Explosion violent, strong, or large
   - - - -    - - - - Eruption cloud
   - - - -    - - - - Lava flow
   - - - -    - - - - Ash
   - - - -    - - - - Earthquakes (undefined) Before.
1973 Jul 14    - - - - VEI (Explosivity Index)

1812 Aug Confirmed Eruption VEI: 2

Episode 1 | Eruption
1812 Aug - Unknown Evidence from Observations: Reported

List of 2 Events for Episode 1

Start Date End Date Event Type Event Remarks
   - - - -    - - - - Explosion
1812 Aug    - - - - VEI (Explosivity Index)
Deformation History

There is no Deformation History data available for Chachadake [Tiatia].

Emission History

There is no Emissions History data available for Chachadake [Tiatia].

Photo Gallery

Chachadake volcano in northern Kunashir Island contains a smaller summit cone (center) that was constructed within a 2.1 x 2.4 km caldera. It contains recent lava flows that cover much of the SW caldera floor and also flowed over the rim, extending to the lower outer flank of the older caldera. Recent eruptions were recorded in 1812 and 1973.

Photo by Yuri Doubik (Institute of Volcanology, Petropavlovsk).
This 400-m-wide crater is at the summit of the cone that formed within the caldera at the summit of Chachadake on the NE tip of Kunashir Island. The SE part of the crater rim (upper right) is the highest point, seen here in October 1990.

Photo by A. Samoluk, 1990 (courtesy of Genrich Steinberg, Institute for Marine Geology and Geophysics, Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk).
The SE flanks of Chachadake volcano in the Kuril Islands rise above the Pacific Ocean at the NE tip of Kunashir Island. A cone has formed in the 2.1 x 2.4 km summit caldera and is seen here rising above the center of the edifice. A major explosive eruption in 1973 and a smaller eruption occurred in 1812.

Copyrighted photo by Yoshihiro Ishizuka, 1992 (Japanese Quaternary Volcanoes database, RIODB, http://riodb02.ibase.aist.go.jp/strata/VOL_JP/EN/index.htm and Geol Surv Japan, AIST, http://www.gsj.jp/).
Ruruidake is composed of the cone on the horizon and the gently sloping Smirnov to the left. It is located at the NW tip of Kunashir Island. Smirnov has been extensively eroded by glaciers and contains young pyroclastic flow deposits and lava domes. The late-Pleistocene volcano has an active fumarole field on its western flank. The crater in the foreground is the northern crater of the 1973 eruption of Chachadake volcano to the SE.

Copyrighted photo by Yoshihiro Ishizuka, 1999 (Japanese Quaternary Volcanoes database, RIODB, http://riodb02.ibase.aist.go.jp/strata/VOL_JP/EN/index.htm and Geol Surv Japan, AIST, http://www.gsj.jp/).
GVP Map Holdings

Maps are not currently available due to technical issues.

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.

Smithsonian Sample Collections Database

There are no samples for Chachadake [Tiatia] in the Smithsonian's NMNH Department of Mineral Sciences Rock and Ore collection.

External Sites