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Japan · Caldera

Kikai Caldera

Kikai

Type
Caldera
Elevation
704m
Last eruption
2025
Kikai Caldera
Photo: 名古屋太郎 · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Type
Caldera
Country
Japan
Region
Western Pacific / Ryukyu Volcanic Arc
Elevation
704m
Coordinates
30.793, 130.305
Last eruption
2025
Tectonic setting
Subduction zone / Oceanic crust (< 15 km)
Landform
Caldera
Major rock type
Rhyolite
Geological summary

Multiple eruption centers have exhibited recent activity at Kikai, a mostly submerged, 19-km-wide caldera near the northern end of the Ryukyu Islands south of Kyushu. It was the source of one of the world's largest Holocene eruptions about 6,300 years ago when rhyolitic pyroclastic flows traveled across the sea for a total distance of 100 km to southern Kyushu, and ashfall reached the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido. The eruption devastated southern and central Kyushu, which remained uninhabited for several centuries. Post-caldera eruptions formed Iodake (or Iwo-dake) lava dome and Inamuradake scoria cone, as well as submarine lava domes. Recorded eruptions have occurred at or near Satsuma-Iojima (also known as Tokara-Iojima), a small 3 x 6 km island forming part of the NW caldera rim. Showa-Iojima lava dome (also known as Iojima-Shinto), a small island 2 km E of Satsuma-Iojima, was formed during submarine eruptions in 1934 and 1935. Mild-to-moderate explosive eruptions have occurred during the past few decades from Iodake, a rhyolitic lava dome at the eastern end of Satsuma-Iojima.

From Wikipedia

Kikai Caldera is a massive, mostly submerged caldera up to 19 kilometres (12 mi) in diameter in the Ōsumi Islands of Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan.

Wikipedia · CC BY-SA · Read full article →

Eruption history

30 recordedGlossary
Summary (VEI over time)
Click a bar to see individual eruptions · Use arrow keys to move between bars, Enter to open
4350 BCE~4137 BCE · 1 eruptions · max VEI 73287 BCE~3075 BCE · 1 eruptions · max VEI ?2650 BCE~2437 BCE · 1 eruptions · max VEI ?2012 BCE~1800 BCE · 1 eruptions · max VEI ?1162 BCE~950 BCE · 1 eruptions · max VEI 2312 BCE~100 BCE · 1 eruptions · max VEI ?325~538 · 1 eruptions · max VEI 3750~963 · 2 eruptions · max VEI 3963~1175 · 2 eruptions · max VEI ?1175~1388 · 1 eruptions · max VEI ?1388~1600 · 1 eruptions · max VEI ?1813~2025 · 17 eruptions · max VEI 24350 BCE2862 BCE1162 BCE3251813

Detailed timeline

  1. 2025VEI 1Observed
    2025-12-29 – 2025-12-29
    Iodake Crater
  2. 2024VEI 1Observed
    2024-09-01 – 2024-09-03
    Satsuma Iwo-jima (Iodake Crater)
  3. 2023VEI ?Observed
    2023-03-27 – 2023-07-31
  4. 2020VEI 1Observed
    2020-04-29 – 2020-04-29
  5. 2020VEI 1Observed
    2020-10-06 – 2020-10-06
  6. 2019VEI 2Observed
    2019-11-02 – 2019-11-02
  7. 2013VEI 1Observed
    2013-06-04 – 2013-06-04
    Iodake
  8. 2004VEI 2Observed
    2004-03-05 – 2004-10-16
    Iwo-dake
  9. 2003VEI 2Observed
    2003-02-16 – 2003-10-16
    Iwo-dake
  10. 2002VEI 2Observed
    2002-05-11 – 2002-07-16
    Iwo-dake
  11. 2000VEI 2Observed
    2000-01-16 – 2000-03-16
    Iwo-dake
  12. 2000VEI 1Observed
    2000-10-16 – 2001-12-16
    Iwo-dake
  13. 1998VEI 2Observed
    1998-04-25 – 1999-08-16
    Iwo-dake
  14. 1997VEI 1Observed
    1997-07-02 – end unknown
    Iwo-dake
  15. 1988VEI 1Observed
    1988-01-18 – 1988-01-18
    Iwo-dake
  16. 1934VEI 2Observed
    1934-09-19 – 1935-08-16
    2 km east of Tokara-Iwo-Jima
  17. 1914VEI ?Method not stated
    1914-02-13 – end unknown
    Tokara-Iwo-jima
  18. 1430 (±75 yrs)VEI ?Geological estimate
    1430 – end unknown
    Iwo-dake
  19. 1340 (±30 yrs)VEI ?Geological estimate
    1340 – end unknown
    Iwo-dake
  20. 1030 (±40 yrs)VEI ?Geological estimate
    1030 – end unknown
    Iwo-dake
  21. 1010 (±40 yrs)VEI ?Geological estimate
    1010 – end unknown
    Iwo-dake
  22. 830 (±40 yrs)VEI ?Geological estimate
    830 – end unknown
    Iwo-dake
  23. 750VEI 3Geological estimate
    750 – end unknown
    Iwo-dake
  24. 390 (±100 yrs)VEI 3Geological estimate
    390 – end unknown
    Iwo-dake
  25. 280 BCE (±75 yrs)VEI ?Geological estimate
    280 BCE – end unknown
    Iwo-dake
  26. 1090 BCE (±100 yrs)VEI 2Geological estimate
    1090 BCE – end unknown
    Inamura-dake
  27. 1830 BCE (±75 yrs)VEI ?Geological estimate
    1830 BCE – end unknown
    Inamura-dake
  28. 2450 BCE (±840 yrs)VEI ?Geological estimate
    2450 BCE – end unknown
    Old Iwo-dake
  29. 3250 BCE (±75 yrs)VEI ?Geological estimate
    3250 BCE – end unknown
    Old Iwo-dake
  30. 4350 BCEVEI 7Geological estimate
    4350 BCE – end unknown
    Kikai caldera

Nearby volcanoes

External links

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