Skip to main content
Back to map
CompareShow on map

Japan · Complex volcano

Mount Zaō

Zaozan [Zaosan]

Type
Complex volcano
Elevation
1841m
Last eruption
1940
Mount Zaō
Photo: ChampagneFight · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
Type
Complex volcano
Country
Japan
Region
Northwestern Pacific / Northeast Japan Volcanic Arc
Elevation
1841m
Coordinates
38.144, 140.440
Last eruption
1940
Tectonic setting
Subduction zone / Continental crust (> 25 km)
Landform
Composite
Major rock type
Andesite / Basaltic andesite
Geological summary

The Zaozan (or Zaosan) volcano group consists of a complex cluster of stratovolcanoes in north-central Honshu about 40 km W of Sendai Bay. The Pleistocene Ryuzan volcano forms the western group (Nishi-Zao), and Byobu and Fubo volcanoes form the southern group (Minami-Zao). The Zaozan edifice forms the central group (Chuo-Zao), a complex topped by several lava domes and the Goshikidake tuff cone, aligned NW-SE. Several episodes of edifice collapse produced debris avalanches during the Pleistocene. Goshikidake contains the active Okama crater, filled with a strongly acidic crater lake; it has been the source of most of the frequent eruptions recorded since the 8th century CE.

From Wikipedia

The Zaō Mountains , commonly called Mount Zaō, are a complex cluster of stratovolcanoes on the border between Yamagata Prefecture and Miyagi Prefecture in Japan. The central volcano includes several lava domes and a tuff cone, Goshiki-dake, which contains a crater lake named "Okama". Also known as the "Five Color Pond" because it changes color depending on the weather, it lies in a crater formed by a volcanic eruption in the 1720s. The lake is 360 metres (1,200 ft) in diameter and 60 m (200 ft) deep, and is one of the main tourist attractions in the area.

Wikipedia · CC BY-SA · Read full article →

Eruption history

51 recordedGlossary
Summary (VEI over time)
Click a bar to see individual eruptions · Use arrow keys to move between bars, Enter to open
7600 BCE~7282 BCE · 1 eruptions · max VEI ?5692 BCE~5374 BCE · 2 eruptions · max VEI ?4420 BCE~4102 BCE · 1 eruptions · max VEI ?4102 BCE~3784 BCE · 1 eruptions · max VEI ?3466 BCE~3148 BCE · 1 eruptions · max VEI ?2830 BCE~2512 BCE · 1 eruptions · max VEI ?2512 BCE~2194 BCE · 1 eruptions · max VEI ?2194 BCE~1876 BCE · 1 eruptions · max VEI ?1876 BCE~1558 BCE · 1 eruptions · max VEI ?32~350 · 1 eruptions · max VEI 4668~986 · 2 eruptions · max VEI 3986~1304 · 3 eruptions · max VEI 31304~1622 · 4 eruptions · max VEI 31622~1940 · 31 eruptions · max VEI 37600 BCE5374 BCE2830 BCE604 BCE1622

Detailed timeline

  1. 1940VEI 1Observed
    1940-05-18 – 1940-05-18
    Okama
  2. 1939VEI 1Method not stated
    1939-07-16 – end unknown
    Okama
  3. 1927VEI 1Method not stated
    1927-07-02 – end unknown
    Okama
  4. 1905VEI 1Observed
    1905-07-02 – end unknown
    Okama
  5. 1897VEI 1Method not stated
    1897-01-14 – 1897-01-14
    Okama
  6. 1896VEI 1Observed
    1896-03-08 – 1896-03-08
    Okama
  7. 1896VEI 1Method not stated
    1896-09-01 – end unknown
    Okama
  8. 1895VEI 1Observed
    1895-02-15 – 1895-03-22
    Okama
  9. 1895VEI 2Observed
    1895-08-22 – 1895-09-28
    Okama
  10. 1894VEI 2Observed
    1894-07-03 – 1894-07-03
    Okama
  11. 1890VEI 1Method not stated
    1890-07-02 – end unknown
    Okama
  12. 1873VEI 1Observed
    1873-08-16 – 1873-09-16
    Okama
  13. 1867VEI 2Observed
    1867-10-21 – end unknown
    Okama
  14. 1833VEI 2Observed
    1833-07-02 – end unknown
    Okama
  15. 1831VEI 2Observed
    1831-11-22 – end unknown
    Okama
  16. 1830VEI 2Observed
    1830-07-02 – end unknown
    Okama
  17. 1822VEI ?Observed
    1822-05-01 – end unknown
  18. 1821VEI 2Observed
    1821-01-27 – 1821-05-01
    Okama
  19. 1809VEI 2Observed
    1809-06-12 – 1809-12-29
    Okama
  20. 1806VEI 2Observed
    1806-07-12 – end unknown
    Okama
  21. 1804VEI 2Observed
    1804-05-16 – end unknown
    Okama
  22. 1796VEI 2Observed
    1796-03-24 – end unknown
    Okama
  23. 1794VEI 2Observed
    1794-09-22 – 1794-12
    SE side of Okama
  24. 1694VEI 2Observed
    1694-05-29 – 1694-08-30
    Okama
  25. 1670VEI 2Observed
    1670-04-26 – 1670-09-26
    Okama
  26. 1669VEI 3Observed
    1669 – end unknown
    Okama
  27. 1668VEI 2Observed
    1668-08 – end unknown
    Okama
  28. 1641VEI 2Observed
    1641 – end unknown
    Okama
  29. 1630VEI 2Observed
    1630 – end unknown
    Okama
  30. 1623VEI 3Observed
    1623-05-15 – 1624-11-15
    Okama
  31. 1622VEI 2Observed
    1622 – end unknown
    Okama
  32. 1620VEI 2Observed
    1620 – end unknown
    Okama
  33. 1400 (±100 yrs)VEI 3Geological estimate
    1400 – end unknown
    Goshiki-dake area
  34. 1350VEI 2Method not stated
    1350 – end unknown
    Okama
  35. 1331VEI 2Method not stated
    1331 – 1333
    Okama
  36. 1230VEI 2Observed
    1230-11-29 – end unknown
    Okama
  37. 1227VEI 3Observed
    1227-10 – end unknown
    Okama
  38. 1183VEI 2Observed
    1183-05-28 – end unknown
    Okama
  39. 884VEI 3Observed
    884 – end unknown
    Okama
  40. 773VEI ?Method not stated
    773-11 – end unknown
    Okama
  41. 300 (±200 yrs)VEI 4Geological estimate
    300 – end unknown
    Goshiki-dake area
  42. 1600 BCEVEI ?Geological estimate
    1600 BCE – end unknown
    Goshiki-dake
  43. 2000 BCE (±500 yrs)VEI ?Geological estimate
    2000 BCE – end unknown
    Goshiki-dake
  44. 2300 BCE (±75 yrs)VEI ?Geological estimate
    2300 BCE – end unknown
    Goshiki-dake area
  45. 2600 BCE (±200 yrs)VEI ?Geological estimate
    2600 BCE – end unknown
    Goshiki-dake area
  46. 3350 BCE (±50 yrs)VEI ?Geological estimate
    3350 BCE – end unknown
    Goshiki-dake area
  47. 3850 BCE (±200 yrs)VEI ?Geological estimate
    3850 BCE – end unknown
    Goshiki-dake area
  48. 4150 BCE (±200 yrs)VEI ?Geological estimate
    4150 BCE – end unknown
    Goshiki-dake area
  49. 5500 BCEVEI ?Geological estimate
    5500 BCE – end unknown
    Goshiki-dake area
  50. 5600 BCEVEI ?Geological estimate
    5600 BCE – end unknown
    Goshiki-dake
  51. 7600 BCEVEI ?Geological estimate
    7600 BCE – end unknown
    Goshiki-dake area

Nearby volcanoes

External links

⚠ For reference only. Not for emergency response.