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.

 

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.

EXTREME WEATHER: Snow Everywhere - Incredible Scenes in Japan as Snow Piled 10 Metres High Along Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route!

We've dodged much of winter's wrath in Canada with higher than normal temperatures and smaller amounts of snow this year. The same can't be said for other parts of the world. A cold snap returned to Japan this week bringing blizzards and creating record snow piles in some areas.

The city of Niigata in central Japan has already seen 13 feet of snow and the weather agency is predicting up to 25 additional inches over the next few days, reports WFMY News. The village of Okura has received more than 10 feet of the white stuff and the Hokuriku area received three feet in less than 24 hours. It is no wonder this road in Japan has massive snow walls on both sides. The video below shows footage from a bus travelling up the Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route. Snow is as high as 10 metres above the road in some spots. In much of Europe, the situation is not different. The freezing temperatures have been responsible for taking hundreds of lives and transportation has all but stopped in many countries.

Thick ice covers the Danube River, halting ships and freezing many in place. In Italy, soldiers worked to free villages trapped in more than 10 feet of snow and distributed 4,000 spades to residents. Even the Coliseum in Rome was blanketed by the white stuff.  The record low temperatures are making life difficult for people still living in tents after an earthquake rattled Turkey in October. The country moved 134,000 into temporary homes, but there were still about 7,500 living in tents as temperatures dipped well below zero. The unusually cold and snowy weather is also providing some amazing images, including the one showing a car and tree trunks completely covered by ice in Switzerland. - Yahoo.

WATCH: Incredible footage of the Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route in Japan.

EXTREME WEATHER: Snow Everywhere - Japan Snow Death Toll Rises to 82!

The death toll from the heavy snow that has blanketed large parts of Japan rises to over 80.

It may look picturesque, but this deluge of snow is wreaking havoc in Japan. The death toll from the blizzard this winter is now at least 82. Many of the casualties were crushed to death by snow falling on them from buildings, while some slipped from rooftops while trying to clear the snow. Here in Niigata prefecture, around 65 centimetres has fallen in last 24 hours alone.

Some cities are recording over three metres of snow piled up. The severe weather has taken its toll on residents who say they are exhausted from clearing snow every day for at least month. Prefectural governments encouraged officials to take leave and will ask companies to encourage staff to take holidays to assist with snow removal. The Japanese weather agency has forecast more heavy snow through until at least Friday, with the possibility of more in the coming days. - Reuters.

WATCH: Simon Hanna reports.

EXTREME WEATHER: Severe Cold Conditions in Japan - Record Lows Registered in 38 Locations; 32.6 Degrees Below Zero in Esashi, Hokkaido!

Japan experienced severe cold weather Friday and morning temperatures dropped to record lows at 38 locations nationwide, the Meteorological Agency said.

The Ryuo waterfall (below) is mostly frozen Thursday in Hino, Tottori Prefecture.

From Tohoku to Kyushu, 16 prefectures recorded their lowest temperatures ever, including the town of Kusu in Oita Prefecture, where the mercury fell to minus 14.7 degrees, and Mashiki, Kumamoto Prefecture, where the temperature plunged to minus 8.4. Temperatures were below zero early Friday at more than 90 percent of 927 observation points across Japan, the agency said. The lowest figure was minus 32.6 in Esashi, Hokkaido.

The agency said the cold air mass that caused blizzards along the Sea of Japan coast has now passed over the archipelago. But sunshine in many places caused a phenomenon known as radiative cooling, in which heat is taken from land surfaces and leads to freezing temperatures, it said.

The cold should ease early next week but is likely to return around Wednesday, it forecast. "There is a possibility of heavy snow again" next week and people should continue to be cautious, agency forecaster Koji Ishihara said. According to the agency, the cold weather is expected to continue through April because of the La Nina phenomenon, in which the temperature of the sea surface off Peru drops. "Based on our forecast, February's temperatures nationwide will be lower" than in normal years, Ishihara said. "We project low temperatures will continue through March and April, excluding Hokkaido and the Tohoku region." - Japan Times.