Mount Asama erupted for the third straight day on Thursday, throwing gray smoke and red-hot rocks into the air and setting off more than 1 000 tiny earthquakes.
One of Japan’s largest and most active volcanoes, Mount Asama repeatedly rumbled with small eruptions throughout the day, the Meteorological Agency said. Molten rock was propelled about 300m above its crater and columns of smoke rose more than 1 200m, it said.
”The small eruptions are nearly continuous,” it said.
The volcano also rained ash on Karuizawa, a resort town about 10km away. By Thursday evening, the agency estimated there had been 1 054 tiny tremors caused by the eruptions.
The 2 568m mountain is about 150km west of Tokyo. It is also about 48km south-east of Nagano, site of the 1998 Winter Olympics.
Thursday’s eruptions followed about two dozen small- and medium-sized ones on Wednesday and three small ones on Tuesday. On September 1, a medium-sized eruption poured molten rock, ash and smoke down the mountain’s slopes.
The Meteorological Agency maintained its activity rating for Mount Asama at three on a scale of five, designating small- to medium-sized eruptions.
Mount Asama has had several minor eruptions in recent years. In 1947, molten rock struck and killed 11 mountaineers on its slopes.
Its last major eruption was in 1783.
Japan has 108 active volcanoes and lies in the Pacific ”Ring of Fire” — a string of volcanoes and fault lines that outlines the Pacific Ocean. — Sapa-AP