Volcano Near Tokyo, Japan Has Largest Eruption in 20 Years: Mt. Asama Ash Plume Almost 2 Miles High

Japan (HDW) September 19, 2004 - Japan’s Mt. Asama erupted explosively on September 1, 2004. After a two-week rest, the volcano continued its eruption in several small bursts starting on September 14, sending plumes of ash from the its 2,568 meter-high summit crater. A satellite from NASA captured this view of the smoking volcano at 10:30 a.m. Tokyo time on September 16, 2004. In this image, the ash plume is heading due south towards Suruga Bay.

This activity is not unusual—Asama is the most active volcano on Honshu, Japan’s main island. Its last eruption was in 2003, though the current eruption is its most violent since 1983. This volcanic activity is very interesting, because it is occurring less than 100 miles (about 140 kilometers) from the southeast of Tokyo, the capitol of Japan. Tokyo is pictured as the cement-colored region around the Bay of Tokyo.