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Japan Meteorological Agency "Similar eruption is possible" Large volcanic bomb 2.5 km away |
The Japan Meteorological Agency held an urgent press conference at midnight on the 24th after raising the evacuation alert level of Sakurajima in Kagoshima Prefecture from 3 (mountain entry restrictions) to 5 (evacuation). It is said that the increase to 5 was due to the large volcanic bomb reaching about 2.5 km from the crater. Tsuyoshi Nakatsuji, chief of the Volcanic Bomb Monitoring Division, called for "strict caution against large volcanic bombs" in the residential area within about 3 km from the crater on the island. The eruption alert level, which began operation in 2007, indicates the range that requires alert and the action to be taken according to the situation of volcanic activity. Level 5, the highest risk level, was announced for the second time since the eruption on Kuchinoerabu Island in Kagoshima Prefecture, where all the islanders evacuated outside the island in May 2015. This is the first time in Sakurajima. This eruption occurred at the Minamidake summit crater. According to Mr. Nakatsuji, in Sakurajima, one of the criteria for raising the evacuation of residents to level 5 is "when a large volcanic bomb exceeds approximately 2.4 km from the crater." There are villages in this area in the southern part of the island. When the Japan Meteorological Agency analyzed the image of the surveillance camera, it seems that a large volcanic bomb flew about 2.5 km eastward from the crater, and it was raised to 5. In Sakurajima, slight crustal movements indicating the expansion of the mountain body were observed from around 9 am on the 18th, and the agency announced "commentary information" every day from the 19th and made it known. According to Mr. Nakatsuji, looking only at the crustal movements observed this time, the standard for raising to level 5 was not reached. However, although the crustal movement has been stagnant since the 20th, he said that it has not been resolved by this eruption, "There may be another similar eruption. I would like to monitor it carefully." It does not anticipate the possibility of a large eruption such as the 1914 "Taisho eruption." At 8:22 pm on the 24th, the agency released an "eruption bulletin" that was the first to report the eruption, but 17 minutes had passed since the eruption. For volcanoes such as Sakurajima, where eruption warnings have already been announced and entry is restricted, an eruption bulletin will be announced when an eruption of a scale that considers raising the level or expanding the range requiring caution occurs. Chief Nakatsuji said that it took 17 minutes to break the news. He explained that it took time to analyze and scrutinize whether this eruption was the standard for breaking news.
