Japan's Mount Shinmoe Volcano Erupts, Level-3 Alert Issued
The volcano erupted at around 11 am in the morning, with volcanic rocks being found upto 2-km radius of the crater.
Tokyo, Mar 1: A level-3 alert was issued by Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) after Mount Shinmoe volcano in Kyosho Islands erupted on Thursday. No evacuation process was initiated as the eruption was reported to be of moderate intensity.
The volcano erupted at around 11 am in the morning, with volcanic rocks being found upto 2-km radius of the crater. The JMA has appealed residents and visitors of Kyosho islands to not to visit the the Kirishima mountain range, where the 1,431-metre Mount Shinmoe volcano is located. The possibility of pyroclastic flows within 1-km range of the crater cannot be ruled out, the agency claimed.
The eruption of Mount Shinmoe comes barely five months after the volcano had last erupted in October 2017. Geological experts said global warming is possibly the reason behind the spree of volcanic eruptions in past few years.
According to a study commissioned by the University of Leads, global warming is causing ice to rapidly melt in volcanically active regions, which in turn increases the prospects of eruption.
Although the frequency of eruptions could not be gauged, the study said, it could be confirmed that atmospheric changes due to global warming is abetting more volcanic eruptions. Due to the temperature rising, the pressure beneath the surface is reducing. This increases the amount of mantle melt, which in turn leads to more eruptions, claimed researcher Graeme Swindles, who authored the study.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 01, 2018 03:10 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).