Mount Mihara
| Mount Mihara | |
|---|---|
| 三原山 | |
 Volcanic peak of Mount Mihara | |
| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 764 m (2,507 ft) |
| Coordinates | 34°43′28″N 139°23′41″E / 34.72444°N 139.39472°ECoordinates: 34°43′28″N 139°23′41″E / 34.72444°N 139.39472°E |
| Geography | |
  Mount Mihara | |
| Geology | |
| Mountain type | Stratovolcano with summit caldera. |
| Last eruption | October 1990 |
Mount Mihara (三原山 Mihara-yama) is an active volcano on the Japanese isle of Izu Ōshima. Although the volcano is predominantly basaltic, major eruptions have occurred at intervals of 100–150 years.[1]
From a vantage point near the top of the cone it was once possible to leap into the crater. As a result, the volcano became a popular venue for suicides. Beginning in the 1920s, several suicides occurred in the volcano every week; more than six hundred people jumped in 1936.[2] Authorities eventually erected a fence around the base of the structure to curb the number of suicides.[3]
Mount Mihara's major eruption in 1986 saw lava fountains up to 1.6 kilometres (1.0 mi) high. The eruption had a Volcanic Explosivity Index of 3, and involved a central vent eruption, radial fissure eruption, explosive eruption, lava flows, and a lava lake eruption. There was also a 16 km high subplinian plume. All of the island's 12,000 inhabitants were evacuated by dozens of vessels consisting of both the military and civilian volunteers.[4]
The most recent eruption was in 1990.[4]
Mihara in popular culture
In the realm of fiction, Mount Mihara was the place where the Japanese government imprisoned Godzilla in the movie The Return of Godzilla. Five years later, in the sequel Godzilla vs. Biollante, bombs placed on Mt. Mihara go off and release Godzilla from his fiery tomb. In the novel/motion picture Ring, by Suzuki Koji, it is the location where Shizuko Yamamura, mother of the infamous Sadako Yamamura, took her own life.
Bibliography
- Night Falls Fast: Understanding Suicide by Kay Redfield Jamison, Vintage Books 2000
References
- ↑ "Global Volcanism Program - Izu-Oshima". si.edu.
- ↑ Tad, Friend (October 13, 2003). "Jumpers". The New Yorker. Retrieved September 13, 2014.
- ↑ "Japan's 'Suicide Island' Popular". Reading Eagle. Associated Press. April 14, 1937. Retrieved September 13, 2014.
- 1 2 "Global Volcanism Program - Izu-Oshima". si.edu.
External links
- Izu-Oshima - Japan Meteorological Agency (Japanese)
- Izu-Oshima: National catalogue of the active volcanoes in Japan PDF - Japan Meteorological Agency
- Izu Oshima - Geological Survey of Japan
- Izu-Oshima: Global Volcanism Program - Smithsonian Institution
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