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Zao volcano, Japan
Okama crater of Goryu-dake, the most well-known feature of the Zao volcanic complex, is seen from the east.
The 360-m-wide lake is about 60 m deep. The volcanic lake has been the site of many historical eruptions.
White mud deposited on the lake floor is periodically disturbed by gas emission, changing the color of the lake water.
The Zao volcano group, the most active of northern Honshu, consists of a complex cluster of stratovolcanoes straddling the Pacific Ocean-Japan Sea divide.
The Zao volcano group, the most active of northern Honshu, consists of a complex cluster of stratovolcanoes straddling the Pacific Ocean-Japan Sea divide.
The Pleistocene Ryuzan volcano forms the western Zao group (Nishi-Zao), and Byobu and Fubo volcanoes form the southern Zao group (Minami-Zao).
The complex was constructed over granitic basement rocks as high as 1500 m and thus has a relatively small volume.
The 7 cu km Zao volcano proper forms the central ao group (Chuo-Zao), a volcanic complex topped by several lava domes and the Goshiki-dake tuff cone, aligned along a NW-SE trend.
Several episodes of edifice collapse produced debris avalanches during the Pleistocene.
Goshiki-dake contains the active Okama crater, filled with a colorful, strongly acidic crater lake (pH 1.3).
It has been the source of most of the frequent historical eruptions of Zao volcano, which date back to the 8th century AD.
PHOTO SOURCE: Copyrighted photo by Yoshihisa Kawanabe (Japanese Quaternary Volcanoes database, RIODB, //riodb02.ibase.aist.go.jp/strata/VOL_JP/EN/index.htm and Geol Surv Japan, AIST, //gsj.jp/).
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