A major eruption is expected in Japan. But are the authorities and people prepared to deal with this catastrophic event?
The Sakurajima Vulcano, one of the most active volcanoes from Japan is due for an eruption within the next 25 to 30 years, scientists say. The Sakurajima Vulcano is a “growing threat” to Japan, as it is one of the biggest volcanoes in the world and it is located only 30 miles from a nuclear plant (Sendai) and is also close to Kagoshima, a city with a population of 600.000. In 1914 Sakurajima erupted, causing the death of 58 people.
Being located in the Japanese archipelago and sitting on the Pacific “Ring of Fire”, which has more than 100 volcanoes, Sakurajima has a lot of small explosions every year, the latest one being dated in February 2016 and regularly spews ash over the area.
The Japanese authorities closely monitor the volcano which is at Level 3 out of 5 of danger in Japan’s volcanic warning system. Also, people are warned not to go nearby the volcano.
From the data scientists received from their studies, it takes about 130 years for the volcano to store the same amount of magma necessarily for an eruption similar to the one from 1914. This means 25 years from now we should be prepared for this catastrophic event.
The last research focused on the volcano shows that every year, 14 million cubic meters of magma is stored into the volcano. The magma is accumulating faster than it can be expelled, so a major eruption is likely to happen in the next 30 years.
To avoid a disaster, scientists hope to find new ways to model and study the magma reservoir of the volcano. According to scientists at Kyoto University, new evacuation plans are already prepared, so if the disaster strikes again, the population can be safely evacuated.
Even though it is not possible to predict the exact date when the volcano will erupt, these methods help authorities in Japan to properly prepare for a potential future disaster.
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