Volcanoes Activated

Volcano in a small island called Kuchino-erabu unexpectedly erupted late May. One hundred thirty-seven residents in the island evacuated to a neighbor island to escape falling ashes or earthquakes. Authorities on volcanic activity again failed in informing the public of danger there. They explain that volcanic activity around Japan became frequent after Great East Japan Earthquake four years ago.

Japan Meteorological Agency raised the warning level in Kuchino-erabu from third to five after the volcano erupted, which was the highest warning since the agency introduced that criteria. According to the agency, the eruption was not a simple thermal explosion, and it was possible that underground magma was related. After the volcanic eruption last August, local government decided that all residents should evacuate, if a greater eruption would happen.

Although there was no victim on the eruption, experts failed to predict it. JMA settled high-resolution camera in a neighbor island to watch the activity of the volcano in Kuchino-erabu last year. Volcanic gas from the mountain has been closely monitored. Around the crater, they settled six seismometers, three infrasound monitors for detecting eruption, one clinometer, four global positioning systems and two monitoring cameras. Two mobile watchers were deployed to the island in March. But, they could not detect the sign of eruption.

After the great earthquake four years ago, volcanoes are obviously active. Ontakesan had a significant eruption last year, in which a number of climbers were dead or missed. Sakurajima in Kagoshima marked over six hundred explosive eruptions this year. Warning level was raised to the two in Mt. Zao, after increased earthquakes were censored there. In every five great earthquakes with magnitude nine or more on the earth in twentieth century, volcanic eruption occurred within one hundred kilometers earlier than three years later.

Experts are defending themselves asserting that the activities of volcanoes are getting into normal level. Asahi Shimbun reported a comment of Chairman of Volcanic Eruption Prediction Liaison Council, Toshitsugu Fujii, that alerted the public of further eruption occurring in the future. “Although there were not many volcanic eruption in twentieth century, the frequency we are seeing now might be a normal situation,” told Fujii. After all, he was saying that the people needed to be careful for volcanic eruption with or without prediction of experts.