Hiuchigatake (Japan)

Status Unknown Eruption 1544 2356m
Stratovolcano (Subduction zone / Continental crust (> 25 km))

Hiuchigatake volcano lies in Nikko National Park and erupted the 8 km3 Hiuchigatake-Nanairi tephra and pyroclastic flow deposit about 170,00-160,000 years ago. Two lava domes at the southern end of the summit overlook Ozenuma lake, a popular hiking destination in the national park. The southern of the two domes, Akanagure, produced a series of viscous lava flows about 3500 years ago that extend to the S and W flanks. The northern dome, Miike, was the source of a tephra layer correlated with a report of historical activity in 1544 (Hayakawa, 1994b).

Snow-capped Hiuchi volcano rises above Ozenuma lake, a popular hiking destination in Nikko National Park, in this aerial view from the SE. Two lava domes at the southern end of the summit of Hiuchi stratovolcano have been active during the Holocene. The northern dome produced viscous lava flows about 3500 years ago, and the southern dome was the source of an explosive eruption in 1544 CE.

Copyrighted photo by Shun Nakano, 1996 (Japanese Quaternary Volcanoes database, RIODB, http://riodb02.ibase.aist.go.jp/strata/VOL_JP/EN/index.htm and Geol Surv Japan, AIST, http://www.gsj.jp/).

Last updated 2019-08-04 00:28:02