02-07-2025
Government experts monitoring Mount Shinmoedake for possible magma eruption
Volcanologists in Japan are closely monitoring an active volcano in the country's southwest, saying the possibility of a magma eruption cannot be ruled out.
Mount Shinmoedake in the Kirishima mountain range straddling the prefectures of Kagoshima and Miyazaki erupted on June 22 for the first time since 2018.
Eruptions have continued. An ash plume rose 2,800 meters above the crater rim on Wednesday.
At a meeting of the government's volcano research committee held the same day, experts reported that massive amounts of volcanic gases have been emitted. While there are crustal movements suggesting there is swelling deep underground, an analysis of volcanic ash has found that no new magma has erupted.
Participants agreed that the situation does not call for an emergency meeting to be convened.
Shimizu Hiroshi heads the committee. He is also director-general of the Center for Volcanic Research Promotion at the National Research Institute for Earth Science and Disaster Prevention, or NIED.
While acknowledging that the assessment is his alone, Shimizu said at this point, what is happening at Mount Shinmoedake is not a magma eruption, but there is no denying that one could occur.
He said careful monitoring is needed to assess whether the swelling deep underground accelerates.
The meeting came as the alert level for Mount Shinmoedake remains at Level 3 on a 5-point scale.
Japan's Meteorological Agency is warning of falling volcanic rocks and pyroclastic flows within a 3-kilometer radius of the mountain.
