Norikuradake volcano consists of an elongated group of small andesitic stratovolcanoes and craters arranged along a N-S line above a ridge crest in the southern part of the Northern Japan Alps. The 3026-m-high andesitic-to-dacitic volcano is the third highest in Japan and lies at the center of the Norikura volcanic zone extending from Yakedake on the north to Ontake on the south. Early eruptions occurred at both the northern and southern ends of the present-day volcano, forming stratovolcanoes that have been largely buried by later southward-migrating eruptions. It was active during the early Holocene, and the last eruption took place about 2000 years ago.