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SAKURAJIMA VOLCANO JAPAN - Shanmugam IAS Academy In Coimbatore

Jul 27, 2022

SAKURAJIMA VOLCANO JAPAN

Why in News?

Recently, the Sakurajima Volcano erupted on Japan’s major western island of Kyushu.

  • In 2021, the Fukutoku-Okanoba Submarine Volcano exploded in the Pacific Ocean, off Japan.
  • Sakurajima is one of Japan’s most active volcanoes and eruptions of varying levels take place on a regular basis.
  • It is an active stratovolcano.
  • The largest historical eruptions of Sakurajima took place during 1471-76 and in 1914.
  • Its eruption has been recorded since the 8th Century.
  • Due to its frequent deposition of ash on Kagoshima, and due to its explosive potential, it is considered as one of the very dangerous volcanoes.

Volcano

  • When this material escapes, it causes an eruption. An eruption can be explosive, sending material high into the sky. Or it can be calmer, with gentle flows of material.
  • On Earth, the erupted material can be liquid rock ("lava" when it's on the surface, "magma" when it's underground), ash, cinders, and/or gas.

Reasons for Magma Rise:

  • Magma can rise when pieces of Earth's crust called tectonic plates slowly move away from each other. The magma rises to fill in the space. When this happens, underwater volcanoes can form.
  • Magma also rises when these tectonic plates move toward each other. When this happens, part of Earth's crust can be forced deep into its interior. The high heat and pressure cause the crust to melt and rise as magma.
  • The final way that magma rises is over hot spots. Hot spots are the hot areas inside of Earth. These areas heat up magma. The magma becomes less dense. When it is less dense it rises. Each of the reasons for rising magma are a bit different, but each can form volcanoes.

Types of Volcanoes

  • Shield volcanoes: A volcano produces low viscosity, runny lava, it spreads far from the source and forms a volcano with gentle slopes. Most shield volcanoes are formed from fluid, basaltic lava flows. Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa are shield volcanoes. They are the world’s largest active volcanoes around the island of Hawai’i.
  • Stratovolcano: Stratovolcanoes have relatively steep sides and are more cone-shaped than shield volcanoes. They are formed from viscous, sticky lava that does not flow easily.
  • Lava dome: The Soufrière Hills volcano, on the Caribbean island of Montserrat, is well known for its lava dome complex at the summit of the volcano, which has gone through phases of growth and collapse. As viscous lava is not very fluid, it cannot flow away from the vent easily when it is extruded. Instead it piles up on top of the vent forming a large, dome-shaped mass of material.
  • Caldera: Magma is stored beneath a volcano in a magma chamber. When a very large, explosive eruption occurs that empties the magma chamber, the roof of the magma chamber can collapse to form a depression or bowl with very steep walls on the surface. These are calderas and can be tens of miles across.

What about the Volcanoes in India

  • Barren Island, Andaman Islands (India's only active volcano)
  • Narcondam, Andaman Islands
  • Baratang, Andaman Islands
  • Deccan Traps, Maharashtra
  • Dhinodhar Hills, Gujarat

Dhosi Hil

FAQ

GeeksforGeeks

Where is Sakurajima volcano in Japan?

Sakurajima, located 600 miles southwest of Tokyo, has been erupting for centuries, according to the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History's Global Volcanic Activity Program. Below are some images of the eruption.

How many times has Sakurajima erupted?

On September 13, 2016, a team of experts from the University of Bristol and the Sakurajima Volcano Research Centre in Japan proposed that the volcano could experience a major eruption within 30 years; since then, two eruptions have occurred. Sakurajima is a stratovolcano.

Is Sakurajima still erupting?

The volcano Sakurajima is seen in Kagoshima, southern Japan, on March 8, 2022. Sakurajima, the main island in southern Kyushu, is one of Japan's most active volcanoes and has erupted several times, most recently on July 24, 2022.