Volcano Journal Entry
Mount Oyama Explodes Again (September 1, 2000)
View of eruption of Mount Oyama by Yomiuri Shinbun courtesy Volcano Research Center at University of Tokyo.
Japan's Mount Oyama volcano, located on Miyake Island about 120 miles (190 kilometers) south of Tokyo, erupted twice again this week. The eruptions, which forced the evacuation of all remaining residents of the island, shot a plume of smoke and ash high into the atmosphere. Recent eruptions of the volcano have been accompanied by a swarm of earthquakes.
The volcano was dormant for 17 years until it erupted in June. It has erupted eight times since July 8th. An eruption earlier in August forced the evacuation of more than 200 schoolchildren. Volcanologists say that shifts in huge underground pools of magma may be responsible for the recent volcanic and seismic activity on the island.
Japan, which has many active volcanoes and frequent earthquakes, is found on the Eurasian plate near where it converges with the Philippine and Pacific plates.
