Volcano Live

Date

Comments

1971

lava lakes were visible in two craters.

1972

Eruption on 2nd October 1972 was the largest since November 1957.

1976

Explosions from the summit damaged car windows in December 1976.

1977

Grass fires were started by eruptions in August 1977. Explosion air shocks broke about 100 windows 3 km south of the summit in December 1977.

1978

Lapilli ejected on 4 December 1978 cracked 2 windshields of All Nippon Airways airplanes. Similar damage to aircraft above Sakura-jima occurred 8 April 1975 and 25 December 1977.

1979

The windshields of two domestic airliners were cracked as they flew into an eruption cloud near Sakura-jima at 0801 and 0805 on 18 November 1979, about 20 minutes after a recorded explosion. In both cases, damage was restricted to the outermost of three sheets of glass, and the planes landed safely.

The windshield of a domestic airliner was cracked by tephra at 1.5 km altitude on 24 December 1979, 9 minutes after an explosion from Sakura-jima. The plane landed safely at Kagoshima airport 7 minutes later.

1980

Lapilli from an eruption in November 1980, broke five car windshields. The air shock from a 28 November 1980 explosion broke two windows in a hotel at the base of the volcano.

1981

Lapilli from an explosion on 21 November 1981 broke windshields on cars passing 3 km S of the summit crater of Minami-dake.

1983

Large eruptions in May 1983. The activity was accompanied by thunder and temporary interruption of electric and telephone service. A large amount of ash fell SSE of the volcano; more than 20 car windshields were broken, and the roof of a primary school cracked.

1985

An explosion at the summit crater of Minami-dake on 24 February ejected a plume to 4 km height. Lapilli 4-5 cm in diameter fell as far as 5 km SE of the crater, damaging 43 cars at the S foot and in Tarumizu City (5 km SE). Brush fires were started by hot tephra.

Bombs fell on roads and farms, producing large craters. A bomb from an explosion on 8 June at 1316 made a 1-m-diameter crater in a road near a residential area. On 13 June lapilli up to 3 cm in diameter fell on the S foot, cracking windshields and solar water heaters on rooftops. Ash fell heavily that day at Kagoshima and closed railway crossings.

1986

At 1602 on 23 November an explosion ejected a 2.5-m-diameter block onto a one-story concrete building at the foot of the volcano, 3 km S of the crater. Six people in the building were injured as the block, estimated to weigh 5 metric tons, broke through the roof and ground floor of the hotel and landed in the basement. Two other large blocks (1-1.5 m diameter) that landed near the hotel created a depression and started a grass fire.

1987

Large explosions broke windows and ejected blocks which burnt cars.

1990

An air shock from one explosion broke 21 windows on the island and in the city of Kagoshima.

1991

An explosion on 29 June ejected blocks and lapilli that damaged house roofs and two car windshields.

Ejecta from an explosion on 5 August hit the windshield of a Boeing 737 airliner 13 minutes later as it flew at an altitude of 1.2 km, 10 km N of the volcano. A crack 50 cm long was created the outer surface of the windshield, but the plane landed its 122 passengers and five crew safely.

1993

Explosions resume after 201 explosion-free days.

1995

Ashfall closes a road in August 1995.

2006

First eruption outside of the summit crater in 58 years.