Mount Shinmoedake

Mount Shinmoedake Latest News

Japan’s Mount Shinmoedake, a volcano in the Kirishima mountain range on Kyushu Island, erupted recently, sending a towering ash plume into the sky.

About Mount Shinmoedake

• It is an active stratovolcano located on Kyushu Island, Japan, within the Kirishima mountain range. 
• It rises 1420.8 meters above sea level as part of the volcanic complex in Kagoshima Prefecture, displaying frequent eruption patterns and geological formations.
• Recorded eruptions of Shinmoedake started in 1716. Since then there have been eruptions scattered across all the years to the present day. 
• It gained international fame as one of the filming locations for the 1967 James Bond movie “You Only Live Twice”.

‹ ›

What is a Stratovolcano? 

• It is a tall, steep, and cone-shaped type of volcano.
• Unlike flat shield volcanoes, they have higher peaks.
• They are typically found above subduction zones, and they are often part of large volcanically active regions, such as the Ring of Fire that frames much of the Pacific Ocean.
• They are usually about half-half lava and pyroclastic material, and the layering of these products gives them their other common name of composite volcanoes.
• At the peak, stratovolcanoes usually have a small crater. The crater may be filled with water or ice, or it may contain a volcanic dome during a period of relative inactivity.
• Stratovolcanoes comprise the largest percentage (~60%) of the Earth’s individual volcanoes, and most are characterized by eruptions of andesite and dacite, lavas that are cooler and more viscous than basalt.
• These more viscous lavas allow gas pressures to build up to high levels. Therefore, these volcanoes often suffer explosive eruptions.

Source: TIMES