About Sakurajima Volcano:
- Location: It is located on the southern tip of Kyushu island near the city of Kagoshima, Japan.
- It is one of Japan’s most active volcanoes and eruptions of varying levels take place on a regular basis.
- Sakurajima is a stratovolcano formed from layers of lava and ash. It is situated on a convergent plate margin.
- It is an andesitic volcano (meaning it has a high gas content and is very viscous) located at the southern edge of the Aira caldera.
- It is formed by the central cones of the Kitadake (northern peak) and the Minamidake (southern peak).
- Sakura-jima formed an island until 1914, when an explosive eruption produced enough material to join the island to the peninsula on the east.
What is Volcano?
- A volcano is an opening on the surface of a planet or moon that allows material warmer than its surroundings to escape from its interior.
- When this material escapes, it causes an eruption and it can last days, months, or even years.
- This eruption can be explosive, sending material high into the sky. Or it can be calmer, with gentle flows of material.
