Volcano Erupts, Raining Ash On Tokyo - PICTURES & UPDATES

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                                                Volcano Erupts, Raining Ash on Tokyo 






The National Geographic
February 2, 2009

--Smoke and gases billow from Japan's snowcapped Mount Asama volcano early today. Powdery volcanic ash from the eruption rained down on parts of Tokyo, about 90 miles (145 kilometers) from the volcano. So far no resulting damage or injuries have been reported.

Beginning at 1:51 a.m. local time, the volcano belched out a mile-high (1.6-kilometer-high) plume and continued smoking all day. Chunks of rock from the eruption were found about 3,300 feet (1,000 meters) from the volcano.

"We don't think there will be any stronger eruptions, but we don't see the activity stopping anytime soon, either," Kazuya Kokubo, an official with Japan's Meteorological Agency said.

The eruption was not big enough to disrupt daily life near the volcano, though many people awoke to find their cars covered in a fine layer of powder. National broadcaster NHK showed people in Tokyo lining up for carwashes.

Mount Asama has been active for at least hundreds of years.

Its last major eruption took place in September 2004, spewing enough ash to damage local crops. It frequently spews smaller amounts of ash from its crater.

With 108 active volcanoes, Japan is among the most seismically busy countries in the world. The country lies in the Ring of Fire—a series of volcanoes and fault lines that roughly encircle the Pacific Ocean. (See "Deadly Java Quake Highlights 'Ring of Fire' Dangers" [May 30, 2006].)



—Associated Press in Tokyo

Copyright 2009
The Associated Press.



Photograph from Kyodo
via AP Images

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                                Volcano erupts near Tokyo raining ash down on city






Jay Alabaster,
Associated Press Writer –
Mon Feb 2, 2009
AP –
TOKYO

– A volcano near Tokyo erupted Monday, shooting up billowing smoke and showering parts of the capital with a fine ash that sent some city residents to the car wash and left others puzzled over the white powder they initially mistook for snow.

Mount Asama erupted in the early hours of Monday, belching out a plume that rose about a mile (1.6 kilometers) high, Japan's Meteorological Agency said.

There were no reports of injuries or damage from the eruption of the volcano, 90 miles (145 kilometers) northwest of Tokyo. It last erupted in August, 2008, causing no major damage.

Chunks of rock from the explosion were found about 3,300 feet (1,000 meters) away from the volcano. Ash was detected over a wide area, including central Tokyo and as far as eastern Chiba.

In Tokyo's western district of Fussa, the local government office was flooded with calls from residents asking about "the mysterious white powder" falling from the sky and fire departments fielded calls from people afraid the ash was from a nearby blaze.

In the town of Karuizawa, southeast of the volcano, the ash was thick enough to obscure road markings in some areas, town official Noboru Yanagishi said.

"Some people said they heard a strange noise in the morning when the eruption occurred," he said.

The eruption was not big enough to disrupt daily life near the volcano, though many people awoke to find their cars covered in a fine layer of powder. National broadcaster NHK showed people in Tokyo lining up to get their cars washed or wiping the ash from their windows, with some drivers saying they first thought it was snow.

In Tachikawa, a district in northwestern Tokyo, some farming areas were coated with ash.

"Because it's February and not harvesting season, there was no real damage to any crops," said Shoichi Matsumoto, a local official.

In Tsumagoi, a small town on the volcano with ski resorts and hot spring baths, residents went about their business as usual. Travelers planning vacations to the area had called to inquire, but no one canceled, said Masaru Yoshida, a spokesman for the local tourist association.

"The wind has blown the ash to the other side of the mountain," he said. "It's a clear day so you can see some smoke, but not as much as we've had in the past."

Mount Asama has been active for thousands of years.

Its last major eruption took place in September 2004, spewing enough ash to damage local crops. It frequently spews smaller amounts of ash from its crater.

With 108 active volcanos, Japan is among the most seismically busy countries in the world. The country lies in the "Ring of Fire" — a series of volcanoes and fault lines that outline the Pacific Ocean.

Later Monday, the agency also reported a minor eruption at another volcano — Sakurajima in southern Japan.

An alert level of three was in place Monday for a 2.5-mile (4-kilometer) radius, which bars entry into the area and urges nearby residents to take caution.

"We don't think there will be any stronger eruptions, but we don't see the activity stopping anytime soon, either," agency official Kazuya Kokubo said.

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                     Erupting volcano sends mile-high column of ash raining down on Tokyo






By Daily Mail Reporter

Britain may have awakened to a world covered with snow today - but in Tokyo, people got up to find everything covered in a fine layer of ash.

The astonishing images below show the snowcapped Mount Asama, northwest of Tokyo, erupting early today, sending up a huge plume of smoke and gas and raining fine, powdery ash on parts of Japan's capital.
 
Mount Asama, about 90 miles (145 kilometres) northwest of Tokyo, belched out a plume that rose about a mile (1.6 kilometres) high, according to Japan's Meteorological Agency. The plume was still roiling over the volcano's crater.

The volcano erupted at 1:51 a.m. (0451 GMT) today. Chunks of rock from the explosion were found about 3,300 feet (1,000 meters) away from the volcano. Ash was drifted down over a wide area, including as far away as central Tokyo. No one has been reported killed or injured.

In the town of Karuizawa, southeast of the volcano, the ash was thick enough to obscure road markings in some areas, town official Noboru Yanagishi said.'Some people said they heard a strange noise in the morning when the eruption occurred,' he said.

 Mount Asama has been active for thousands of years. It last spewed out smoke in 2004
Many people awoke to find their cars covered in a fine layer of powder. National broadcaster NHK showed people in Tokyo lining up to get car washes, or wiping the ash from their windows.
Mount Asama has been active for thousands of years. Its last major eruption took place in September 2004, spewing enough ash to damage local crops. It frequently spews smaller amounts of ash from its crater.

 With 108 active volcanos, Japan is among the most seismically busy countries in the world. The country lies in the 'Ring of Fire' - a series of volcanoes and fault lines that outline the Pacific Ocean.
An alert level of three was in place Monday for a 2.5mile radius, which bars entry into the area and urges nearby residents to take caution. Alert level four advises residents to prepare for evacuation, while level five, the highest, orders evacuation, according to the Meteorological Agency.
'We don't think there will be any stronger eruptions, but we don't see the activity stopping anytime soon, either,' agency official Kazuya Kokubo said.

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              THE ERUPTION IN THE EARLY STAGES

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              THE SMOKE SHOT UP TO ONE MILE HIGH

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                                            Volcanoes Erupt in Japan and Russia






February 03, 2009
by Lindsey Chapman

The Pacific Ring of Fire has seen volcanic eruptions in Japan and Russia, and an earthquake in Seattle during the past several days.

Two volcanoes in Japan and one in eastern Russia erupted on Feb. 2, Bloomberg has reported.

Japan's Mount Sakurajima erupted seven times. No damage or injuries were reported from these or the eruptions at Mount Asama or the Karymsky Volcano in Russia.

Japan is one of the most seismically active countries in the world, with 108 active volcanoes, according to National Geographic. Japan rests on the Ring of Fire, which is "a series of volcanoes and fault lines that roughly circle the Pacific Ocean."

The United States has seen some activity underground recently as well. In Seattle, Wash., a magnitude 4.5 earthquake shook the area, but no damage was reported. Alaska, meanwhile, is paying attention to its Mount Redoubt volcano, which is showing signs of a possible eruption.

Scientific American wrote, "The so-called ring of fire edging the Pacific is known to be highly active. So it's no surprise that said ring is jolting Seattle residents awake and putting denizens of Anchorage on notice of an imminent eruption from the redoubtable Mount Redoubt."



http://www.findingdulcinea.com/news/environment/2009/feb/Volcanoes-Erupt-in-Japan-Russia.html