1888 eruption of Mount Bandai
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1888 eruption of Mount Bandai | |
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Volcano | Mount Bandai |
Start date | July 15, 1888 |
End date | July 15, 1888 |
Type | Explosive eruption |
Location | Iwashiro Province (now part of Fukushima Prefecture), Empire of Japan 37°36′46″N 140°04′34″E / 37.612787°N 140.076194°E |
VEI | 4 |
The 1888 eruption of Mount Bandai was a major
Mount Bandai is a stratovolcano. Its most recent previous eruption had occurred in 806. Mount Bandai had a conical profile, and had been compared in literature with Mount Fuji. The Bandai volcano consisted of four peaks: O-bandai (1,819 meters), Kushigamine (1,636 meters), Akahaniyama (1,427 meters), and Ko-bandai which was slightly lower than that of O-bandai.
Small earthquakes were reported on 8, 9 and 10 July. Moderate earthquakes occurred on 13 and 14 July. However, as earthquakes are commonplace all over Japan, these tremors were not viewed by the local populace with great concern.
Eruption
On 15 July, three earthquakes occurred prior to the main eruption. The third one was the largest, at around
Within 10 minutes after the explosions, a pyroclastic flow swept over the eastern part of the volcano. According to eyewitness, at least two phreatic eruptions continued after the large collapse. At around 10:00, hot rain started falling, transforming the vast quantity of
Aftermath
The eruption transformed hundreds of square kilometers of forest and farmland around the mountain into a wasteland. Several villages were completely buried under landslides, which also considerably altered the topography of the region by diverting rivers and creating a number of new lakes. Approximately 1.5 cubic kilometers of the summit of the mountain had collapsed, and flowed northwards.
Japanese
The eruption was the first major disaster faced by the fledgling
The lake district formed by this cataclysm is now known as Urabandai or Bandai-kōgen, and has become a popular tourist destination, especially the multi-hued lakes of Goshiki-numa.
See also
References
- ^ Česky. "Bandai Volcano, Honshu (Japan) - facts & information / VolcanoDiscovery". Volcanodiscovery.com. Retrieved 2016-01-31.
- ^ Smith, Encyclopedia of Geology, pp 461
- ^ Clancey, Earthquake Nation, pp 104
Further reading
- Clancey, Gregory (2006). Earthquake Nation: The Cultural Politics of Japanese Seismicity, 1868–1930. University of California Press. ISBN 0-520-24607-1.
- Smith, Roger (2000). Encyclopedia of Geology. Routledge. ISBN 1-57958-188-9.
External links
- Photographs of the eruption and aftermath at University of Berkeley (membership required to view full images)
- "Most Recent Bulletin Report: September 2012 (BGVN 37:09)", United States Geological Survey report on volcano.si.edu.
- New York Times September 7, 1888