GLOBAL VOLCANISM: Mount Aso Volcano Erupts Following Violent Earthquake Streak In Japan - Plumes Of Smoke Rose Over 100 Meters Into The Sky! [PHOTOS + VIDEOS]

© Kyodo / Reuters

April 16, 2016 - JAPAN - After a series of deadly earthquakes in Japan, a “small-scale” eruption of Mount Aso has been recorded by the Japan Meteorological Agency.

However, it decided to keep the alert level at 2, as it was not immediately clear whether the natural disasters were related. Plumes of smoke rose some 100 meters into the sky, according to local media and videos captured by witnesses.

© Associated Press

The eruption of Mt. Aso, located in southern Japan, was recorded at around 11:30pm GMT Friday.Since small eruptions had been recorded at Mt. Aso even before the series of deadly quakes hit the area on Thursday and Friday, the Japanese Meteorological Agency has reportedly decided to keep the alert level at 2 on a scale of 1-5.The volcano eruption follows two deadly earthquakes and dozens of powerful aftershocks that devastated Japan earlier this week.

On Friday (1:25am Saturday local time) a violent 7.1 magnitude earthquake struck the city of Kumamoto on the island of Kyushu. At least 11 people have so been confirmed dead in the disaster so far, while several dozens are feared to still be trapped under the rubble. Some 760 were treated in hospitals while rescue teams continue to search ruined houses.

Just a day beforehand, the same region was rattled by a 6.5 quake, in which at least ine people were killed and more than 850 injured. Authorities went on to evacuate over 40,000 people as scientists began to monitor nearby volcanoes for any signs of activity.


WATCH: Mount Aso volcano erupts.

Japanese authorities were also worried about a potential repeat of the 2011 Fukushima disaster scenario, when a 15-meter post-quake tsunami caused a nuclear meltdown. However, so far the Nuclear Regulation Authority said no irregularities had been recorded at three nuclear plants on the island of Kyushu and nearby Shikoku.

Over a hundred aftershocks have hit the region following the initial Thursday tremor. Officials have warned that the risk of further strong aftershocks will linger for about a week. - RT.

 

MONUMENTAL EARTH CHANGES: Increasing Global Volcanism As The Celestial Black Event Nears - Volcanic Activity At The Hakone Volcano Shuts Part Of Popular Japan Hot Springs; Alert Level Raised; The Last Eruption Took Place Around 3,000 YEARS AGO!

White smoke is spewed out in Owakudani valley of Mount. Hakone where increased earthquake activity is found, in Hakone town, about
80 kilometers (50 miles) southwest of Tokyo, Thursday, May 7, 2015.  © Kyodo News

May 7, 2015 - JAPAN - Japanese authorities have closed part of a popular hot springs area to the public because of fears a volcano might erupt.

Increased earthquake activity at Mount Hakone prompted the Japanese Meteorological Agency to raise the alert level earlier this week to 2 on a scale of 1 to 5, 1 being the lowest.

The town of Hakone met on Thursday with tourism industry representatives who are concerned about the possible impact on business.

About 50 people who operate businesses in the restricted area were allowed to make a temporary visit to maintain their facilities and collect necessities, according to Japanese broadcaster TBS. It quoted a cafe owner saying he hopes the situation will be over soon.

The closed area includes Owakudani, a well-visited site where tourists can see steam emerging from vents in a crater from a past eruption. Both a section of a ropeway that passes nearby and trails to Owakudani have been closed.

Hakone, about 80 kilometers (50 miles) southwest of Tokyo, attracts visitors from both Japan and overseas. Most of Hakone's other sights remain open.

The eruption of Mount Ontake in central Japan last September killed 57 people. - Yahoo.

MONUMENTAL EARTH CHANGES: Increasing Global Volcanism As The Celestial Black Event Nears - Possible Threat Of Eruption At Japan's Hakone Volcano As 100 Volcanic Earthquakes Are Recorded; The Last Eruption Took Place Around 3,000 YEARS AGO!

Anglers fish from a boat floating on Lake Ashinoko in front of Japan's highest peak, Mount Fuji, and other mountains covered with
coloured autumn leaves at a Hakone hot spring resort, some 100 kms west of Tokyo. © AFP Photo

May 5, 2015 - JAPAN - There has been a rise in the number of volcanic earthquakes recorded in Hakone, Japan. The nearby Hakone volcano began belching steaming gas and meteorologists say there is a possible risk of an eruption.

There were two minor quakes registering 2.4 and 2.0 recorded at the Hakone volcano, which is located in the Kanagawa Province and is 80 kilometers southwest of the capital Tokyo. Meanwhile, there were a total of 98 volcanic earthquakes recorded at the popular hot springs resort of Hakone on Tuesday up until 15:00 local time. During the whole of Monday, 34 were logged.

Japan's meteorological agency has issued a warning to limit access to the resort.

"Activity at Hakone... is in a state of uncertainty," the agency said in an advisory, which was reported by AFP. "There is a possibility that a minor eruption may suddenly occur," it said. "Please do not enter dangerous zones."

Despite the warning, the agency still believes the risk of the Hakone volcano erupting is minimal. It is maintaining an alert level at 1 on a scale of 5. Level 1 means "normal."

"Shallow hot-water activity in parts of the Owakudani Valley has become unstable," the agency said in an advisory note, which was cited by the Kyodo news agency. "There is a possibility that a minor ejection [of hot steam] may suddenly occur," it said. "Please do not enter danger zones."

Local hiking trails are also off-limits as there has been a recent surge in volcanic activity. On May 1, just two volcanic earthquakes were recorded; however this figure has been increasing. There were 36 logged on Sunday and 34 on Monday. The figure spiked on Tuesday.

#Japan Meteo Agency warns of possibility of volcano #eruptions (or #earthquakes) in #Hakone #Onsen 大涌谷 #Owakudani
Joel Legendre Tokyo

As #Hakone rumbles, a timely reminder of Japan's disaster preparation drill #volcano
Rupert Sutton

The warning comes during the middle of Japan's "Golden Week" spring holidays and is likely to affect tourism in the area. Around 20 million people visit Hakone, which is home to some of the country's most famous hot springs.

In February 2013, 1,400 small earthquakes were recorded around the Hakone Volcano, but there was no eruption. The last one took place around 3,000 years ago.

In November, Japan's largest active volcano, Mount Aso, started spewing ash and stones, which caused local airlines to cancel flights.

However, the eruption of Mount Ontake on September 27 eventually killed 57 people, which was Japan's worst volcanic disaster in almost 90 years. The search for survivors was eventually called off on October 16. - RT.

GLOBAL VOLCANISM: Japan's Largest Active Volcano Spews Out Ash And Rocks Over 1,000 Meters Into The Air - Level 2 Alert Issued For Mount Aso; 49 Flights Cancelled!

November 29, 2014 - JAPAN - Dozens of flights were disrupted in Japan on Thursday as Mount Aso, the largest active volcano in the country, spewed ash and stones. This comes just two months after more than 60 were killed in the Mount Ontake eruption.

Japanese airlines were forced to cancel 49 flights as Mount Aso, which dominates the south-west Japanese island of Kyushu, spewed stones and ash, the local Jiji news agency reported on Thursday.

"Today we canceled eight flights departing from Kumamoto and four flights arriving there," a Japan Airlines spokesman told AFP. "There was also one flight which changed destination to a nearby airport," he added.

The massive volcano, one of the largest active ones in the world, started rumbling on Tuesday, while the next day it sent a stream of ash 1,000 meters into the air, local media reported citing Japan’s meteorologists.

Japanese media also said volcanic ash fell on Bungo-Ono, in Oita Prefecture, and the town of Gokase, in Miyazaki Prefecture, about 40 km from the volcano.

Rocks flew 200 meters high from belching Mount Aso on Thursday, while meteorologists warned that flying rocks and ash could hit within a 1 km radius from the volcano. Local Asahi Shimbun reported that it was the first time the volcano had spewed rocks since 1995.

On Wednesday, Japan’s meteorological agency issued a warning – a level 2 alert out of 5 - to residents around the volcano in Kumamoto Prefecture. The second alert level restricts approach the volcano to no nearer than 1 km.

The meteorological agency’s Fukuoka Regional Headquarters reported slight distortions in the shape of Mount Aso, which indicate that magma was possibly involved in the latest eruption, according to Asahi Shimbun. Magmatic eruptions are characterized by gas release and explosions.

Mount Aso’s activity comes just weeks after 60 people were killed in Mount Ontake unexpected eruption in September. This forced a revaluation of volcanic activity risks and the possibility of its prediction. Questions have also arisen over whether Mount Fuji - the highest and most famous mountain in Japan, which was last active in 1707–08 – could erupt.

WATCH: Mount Aso erupts.

The stratovolcano’s activity would not only threaten those in the adjacent Shizuoka and Yamanashi prefectures, but also the highly populated Japanese capital, meteorologists said.

Recent research conducted by Japanese scientists and released by Kobe University in October said that about 95 percent of Japan’s population is at risk of being devastated by a major volcanic eruption, which could happen “at any moment” within the next century.

"It is not an overstatement to say that a colossal volcanic eruption would leave Japan extinct as a country," the authors of the study said, according to AFP. - RT.

PLANETARY TREMORS: Mt. Aso Volcano in Japan, raised to Level 2!

The Japan Meteorological Agency has raised the volcanic level for Mount Aso, the largest active volcano in Japan, to Level 2.

Visitors to Japan have been told not to go within one kilometre of Mount Naka, after the volcanic activity at Mount Aso was raised from level one to level two. The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA), is concerned that debris from the active volcano could be launched from Mount Naka as well, the Associated Press reports. Earlier today (May 16th), a small eruption was recorded, with a 500-metre high plume of volcanic smoke observed in the skies during the morning. Mount Naka and Mount Aso are situated on Kyushu, Japan's third-largest island, and are they part of a range of five peaks in the central cone group. The nearby Mount Nakadake is a popular tourist spot, but is often closed off due to the volcanic gases it emits from time to time, so travellers with respiratory problems are not recommended to visit this site. - Inside Japan Tours.