The caldera is surrounded by 5 peaks understood jointly as Aso Gogaku: Nekodake, Takadake, Nakadake, Eboshidake, Kishimadake. Nakadake is the only active volcano at the center of Mount Aso and is the primary destination in the area.
Not far from the crater lies Kusasenri: a huge meadow inside the mega crater of Eboshidake. Active just over 20,000 years earlier, the crater has actually been filled with volcanic pumice from other eruptions, with lava still brewing a couple of kilometers listed below. Rainwater typically accumulates on the plain forming temporary lakes. The pastures are used for livestock raising, dairy farming, and horse riding.
Mount Aso, the biggest active volcano in Japan, is featured in this image caught on January 1, 2022, by the Copernicus Sentinel-2 objective. Credit: Contains customized Copernicus Sentinel data (2022 ), processed by ESA, CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO
Mount Aso, the largest active volcano in Japan, is featured in this image recorded by the Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission.
Mount Aso, situated in the Kumamoto Prefecture on the nations southernmost main island of Kyushu, rises to a height of 1592 meters (5,223 feet). The Aso Caldera is among the worlds greatest calderas, stretching around 120 km (75 miles) in area, 25 km (16 miles) north to south, and 18 km (11 miles) east to west.
The caldera was formed throughout 4 significant explosive eruptions that took place in between 90,000 and 270,000 years ago. This resulted in massive pyroclastic flows and ashes that blanketed much of the Kyushu region and even reached the surrounding Yamaguchi Prefecture.
The caldera is surrounded by five peaks known collectively as Aso Gogaku: Nekodake, Takadake, Nakadake, Eboshidake, Kishimadake. Nakadake is the just active volcano at the center of Mount Aso and is the primary destination in the area. The volcano goes through cycles of activity. The volcano has actually been emerging sporadically for years, most just recently in 2021, which has led to the number of visitors drop in current years.
Among the closest inhabited cities is Aso, visible in the image around 8 km (5 miles) north of the volcano. It has a population of around 26,000 people.
There are 110 active volcanoes in Japan, of which 47 are monitored carefully as they have actually appeared recently or shown worrying signs consisting of seismic activity, ground contortion, or emissions of large amounts of smoke.
Satellite data can be used to detect the small indications of modification that might predict an eruption. As soon as an eruption starts, optical and radar instruments can record the various phenomena associated with it, including lava circulations, mudslides, ground cracks, and earthquakes. Atmospheric sensing units on satellites can also recognize the aerosols and gases launched by the eruption, along with quantify their wider environmental impact.
This image is also included on the Earth From Space video program embedded above.