Volcanic eruption coats Japanese city

[Hum]

TOKYO (AP) ? Residents in a southern Japanese city were busy washing ash off the streets Monday after a nearby volcano spewed a record-high smoke plume into the sky.

Ash wafted as high as 5 kilometers (3 miles) above the Sakurajima volcano in the southern city of Kagoshima on Sunday afternoon, forming its highest plume since the Japan Meteorological Agency started keeping records in 2006. Lava flowed about 1 kilometer (0.6 miles) from the fissure, and several huge volcanic rocks rolled down the mountainside.

Though the eruption was more massive than usual, residents of the city of about 600,000 are used to hearing from their 1,117-meter (3,664-foot) neighbor. Kagoshima officials said in a statement that this was Sakurajima's 500th eruption this year alone.

Residents wore masks and raincoats and used umbrellas to shield themselves from the falling ash. Drivers turned on their headlights in the dull evening gloom, and railway service in the city was halted temporarily so ash could be removed from the tracks.

Officials said no injuries or damage was reported from the volcano, which is about 10 kilometers (6 miles) east of the city.

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[The Evil Overlord]

And with how fast the rebuild, I wonder how soon all the particulate matter will be removed..

[LittleNeutrino Veteran]

sounds like they have everything under control and are used to such occurrences the only reason i think it made the news was how high the plume got.

[ahhell]

"Kagoshima officials said in a statement that this was Sakurajima's 500th eruption this year alone."

 

Holy crap.

[Hum]

So close to the atomic bomb anniversary ...

[spacer]

That is an amazing photo. It's crazy that this volcano has erupted 500 times this year alone.

[Growled Member]

Kagoshima officials said in a statement that this was Sakurajima's 500th eruption this year alone.

 

I'd be afraid to live that close to an active volcano. One day it is going to blow for real.

[chrisj1968]

every time this erupts, it relieves pressure inside. But Japan is smack dab in the middle of the pacific ring of fire if memory serves

[Xerino]

Sorry, its rough, but I could only think of this... LOL!!!

[+E.Worm Jimmy Subscriber¹]

japan islands are in the middle of the 2 plates if memory server me correctly.   it is a miracle they are not wiped out yet,    but they will be in the next 1-5000 years.

 

 

Lets just hope its 5000 years and not in this or the next generation, and it will mess with the already fragile world economy.