Authorities have been urged to restrict areas within a popular hot springs resort and call for evacuation recommendations following a small volcanic eruption in the Mount Hakone area, which is near Tokyo in Japan. Mount Hakone has been releasing remarkable amounts of steam recently and volcanic ash was found in a valley near it. Due to this, authorities earlier closed some sections of the resort during the beginning of spring.
From warning level number two, Japan's Meteorological Agency increased the level to three, which necessitates the restriction of a bigger area. An official from the agency said that activities within the place, which is approximately 80 kilometers, or about 50 miles, west of Tokyo, have increased to a new level. The eruption is considered small-scale, but the chances of a bigger eruption may be possible, widening the scope of the affected area.
Mount Hakone is popular for the hot spring resorts located in the area and its location, which is conducive for viewing Mount Fuji. According to the website of the Hakone town office, the place welcomed more than 21 million visitors in 2014, and 217,000 of these were overseas tourists. When Mount Hakone erupted 3,000 years ago, the "Great Boiling Valley" was formed around a crater and stood 3,425 foot high; steam or "white clouds" surging from its vents were also noticed recently.
The last eruption noted in Mount Hakone was some 800 years ago. With this, volcanologist Toshitsugu Fujii, an emeritus professor of Tokyo University, said that determining the scale at which the volcano may erupt is a challenge. "If hot water or magma becomes involved, it could explode at a deeper level, and there would probably be very little warning," he said. "Things are now taking place at a shallow level and probably it won't go that far. But you can't say when that might change." If the 2,390-foot peak erupts in a catastrophic manner, Tokyo, which is located 100 kilometers to the northeast, may experience a rain of about 10 cm, or about 4 inches, of ash.
Fujii also recalled that the iconic Mount Fuji used to erupt every 30 years but has been dormant since 1707. According to him, the recent activity of Mount Hakone could not possibly signify the past trend of Mount Fuji.
Japan is considered to be among the countries with the most active seismic activities in the world. The country experienced a series of eruptions in the recent past, including one that prompted the mass evacuation from a southern island. In September 2014, a crowded Mount Ontake erupted, causing 63 hikers to die.
Photo: Akuppa John Wigham | Flickr
