Kagoshima Sakurajima eruption Volcanic blocks could not raise the alert level near the village, 0:34 on June 9
An explosive eruption on Sakurajima in Kagoshima City on the 4th of this month revealed that a large cinder was flying about 3 kilometers away from the crater, in the immediate vicinity of the inhabited village.
The standard for raising the eruption alert level to 5 indicating "evacuation" was reached, but the level could not be raised afterwards due to factors such as inactivity.
Experts point out that “oversight should be strengthened”.
At around 2:59 am on the 4th of this month, an explosive eruption occurred at the summit crater of Minamidake in Sakurajima.At the beginning, the Meteorological Agency announced that the distance that the cinder had flown was "nearly 2 km from the crater" as observed by surveillance cameras. It was
However, on the 8th, a construction company that owns a material storage site in Sakurajima contacted Kagoshima City saying, "There is something like a cinder in a nearby field," and the city, the Kagoshima Local Meteorological Observatory, and an expert. As a result of investigating the site, they confirmed some of the cinders that seemed to have cracked.
According to the meteorological observatory, a hole about 6 meters in diameter and about 2 meters in depth was opened at the point where the cinder fell, and it is estimated that the cinder was about 50 cm to 1 meter.
The distance that the cinder flew was about 3 kilometers from the crater, and the village was only about 100 meters away.
According to the criteria for eruption caution level of Sakurajima announced by the Japan Meteorological Agency, if "a large cinder is scattered more than 2.5 km from the crater", the eruption caution level will be raised to 5 and some residents will be evacuated. I will.
However, since there is no significant change in the data of crustal movements after the eruption this time, it is considered that there is no sign that the eruption activity becomes active, and the Meteorological Observatory is continuing the Level 3 mountaineering regulation.
It's been 34 years ago, since November 1986, when a large volcanic block has flown 3 kilometers from the crater.
JMA “Not applicable to Level 5”
Regarding this response, the Japan Meteorological Agency said, “Large scattering of volcanic blocks means that many volcanic blocks fly, and this eruption was one volcanic block, so it does not correspond to the level 5 increase. I don't think there is a problem with what I couldn't do," he said.
Professor Iguchi, Kyoto University "The surveillance system should be strengthened"
Masato Iguchi of the Kyoto University Volcanic Activity Research Center, who is familiar with the eruption activity of Sakurajima, said, "The eruption of Minamidake originally has an explosive power, but since April the number has decreased from the previous year, but it has become larger. I have an impression. I want you to be especially careful on the leeward side," he said, "I have to say that the system for grasping the situation of the Meteorological Agency was insufficient. We should strengthen the monitoring system." I will.