OFFICIALS IN JAPAN are preparing for what could be a large explosive eruption from Sakurajima. The Japan Meteorological Agency has raised the alert status to Level 4 after new earthquakes and rapid inflation of the volcano suggest that Sakurajima could be preparing for a repeat of the 1914 explosive eruption that produced numerous fatalities. Level 4 alert means that people living near the volcano need to prepare for evacuation if conditions continue to worsen. Right now that is limited to ~4,000 people on the same island as Sakurajima, but ash from any eruption (depending on the winds) could impact Kagoshima (population ~600,000), located only 10 kilometers from Sakurajima. There is also concern that a large eruption could cause workers at the restarted Sendai nuclear power plant, 50 kilometers from Sakurajima, to need to leave the plant.
Sakurajima is one of the most consistently active volcanoes in Japan, typically producing hundreds of small explosions each year. Over the last year, there has been growing concern that its activity is consistent with records of events prior to the volcano’s last few large eruptions. The swarm of earthquakes from Sakurajima have been centered only a few kilometers beneath the Minamidake vent of the volcano and since yesterday morning, strain meters installed in the volcano have shown dramatic changes typically associated with magma rising into the main edifice of the volcano. In 2013, the volcano produced a large explosive eruption that sent ash over 6 km (20,000 feet) upwards.
