Volcano Journal Entry

Mount Asama Stirs in Japan (September 19, 2000)

Hundreds of small earthquakes shook Japan's Mount Asama this week. The nation's Meteorological Agency says the tremors may signal that the volcano, which is spewing small amounts of steam, is about to explode. The mountain is located in central Japan on the border of Nagano and Gunma prefectures, about 90 miles (145 kilometers) northwest of Tokyo.

Mount Asama has erupted at least 120 times in recorded history. Its most recent eruption was in 1990. A major eruption in 1783 killed more than a thousand people.

Two other Japanese volcanoes have been active in recent weeks. Earlier this month, all 4,000 residents of Miyake Island were evacuated after continuing eruptions of the Mount Oyama volcano. On September 4, Mount Komagatake on Japan's northernmost island of Hokkaido erupted for the first time in almost two years.

Japan, located on the Eurasian plate near where it meets both the Philippine and Pacific plates, has many active volcanoes and frequent earthquakes.