500th Eruption! Why Japan's Sakurajima Volcano Is So Active

 

A Landsat 8 image of Sakurajima volcano in Japan, snapped Aug. 19, shows ash from a recent eruption drifting toward the nearby city of Kagoshima.

Sakurajima volcano in Japan marked its 500th eruption of the year with an impressive pyrotechnic display on Sunday (Aug. 18) at 4:31 p.m. local time.

The island volcano unleashed a pyroclastic flow, which is a superheated mix of volcanic gas, ash and debris that can race down a slope at more than 200 mph (320 km/h), according to Japan's Meteorological Agency. The eruption tossed large volcanic cinders (pieces of hot lava) more than 5,900 feet (1,800 meters) from the volcano's Showa crater, one of two active craters atop Sakurajima.

 
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