Mt. Shinmoe erupts in southwest Japan, alert level remains at 2

NHK

6 days ago

Mount Shinmoe, located in the Kirishima mountain range bordering Kagoshima and Miyazaki prefectures in southwestern Japan, erupted on Sunday evening.
The mountain last erupted seven years ago.
The Kagoshima Meteorological Office says an eruption occurred around 4:37 p.m. and sent up a volcanic plume more than 500 meters into the sky.
The plume is believed to have drifted east to the Miyazaki side. It is unconfirmed whether the material included volcanic rocks.
Officials say residents of Takaharu Town in Miyazaki Prefecture reported that volcanic ashes were falling, and a security camera in Kobayashi City captured the eruption.
The Japan Meteorological Agency lowered the volcanic alert for Mount Shinmoe to Level 2 from Level 3 on its five-level scale last month.
Authorities kept the alert level at 2 after the latest eruption. They warn that large volcanic rocks may fall within about a two-kilometer radius from the crater, and that pyroclastic flows could travel within about a one-kilometer radius.
They also urged people in downwind areas to be cautious of ash and small rocks.
Ground movements continued to suggest the mountain is expanding, as volcanic earthquakes increased sharply on Sunday.
Magma eruptions from the mountain in 2011 emitted large amounts of light rocks and ash, and the rocks and air vibrations from the blast caused damage.