Explosive eruption at Shinmoedake blankets parts of Miyazaki and Kagoshima prefectures with ash, Japan

ByTeo Blašković

A strong explosive eruption occurred at Shinmoedake volcano, part of the Kirishima volcanic complex on Kyushu Island, Japan, at approximately 15:37 JST (06:37 UTC) on July 3, 2025, sending an ash plume up to 6.7 km (22 000 feet) above sea level (a.s.l.). The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) had raised the volcanic alert to Level 3 on June 27, following increased volcanic unrest.

The eruption generated significant ashfall affecting Miyazaki and Kagoshima prefectures, where local authorities issued advisories urging residents to stay indoors, wear protective masks, and cover water sources and vehicles.

JMA elevated the volcanic alert level to 3 (entry restrictions) on June 27 due to increased volcanic earthquakes, ground deformation, and elevated sulfur dioxide emissions reaching approximately 4 000 t/day after a smaller eruption on June 22 — the first since 2018, which produced an ash plume up to 500 m (1 640 feet).

A mandatory exclusion zone of 3 km (1.8 miles) radius around the summit crater is enforced to prevent injuries from potential volcanic bombs, ashfall, and pyroclastic flows.

https://twitter.com/WeatherMonitors/status/1940686223846396383

At a government volcano research committee meeting on July 2, experts reported large emissions of volcanic gases and signs of underground swelling at Shinmoedake, but found no evidence of new magma eruption. The committee agreed that the situation does not warrant an emergency meeting. Shimizu Hiroshi, head of the committee, stated that while the current activity is not a magma eruption, the possibility cannot be ruled out and careful monitoring is required to assess further developments.

Historical records show this eruption is moderate compared to previous events. Shinmoedake’s eruption in 2011 produced ash plumes up to 9 km (29 500 feet), causing evacuations and flight disruptions. The 2018 activity was also significant but less intense than the 2011 event.

Featured image: トシ@YZF-R1M’19

Teo Blašković founded The Watchers in 2011 and edited it until 2026, covering seismic and volcanic activity, extreme weather, space weather and near-Earth objects. Articles on this page are his archive.

Share:

Published in the last 24 hours

  1. Forecasters say this winter’s El Niño could reach historic strength, but the last one that big, nicknamed Godzilla in 2015–16, left Los Angeles with about two-thirds of its normal rain while storms pounded the Pacific Northwest Epicenter
  2. Winds circling the North Pole have slowed sharply this month, the same kind of disruption that in January 2019 split the polar vortex and sent Chicago to minus 23°F, cold enough that rail crews ran flames along the tracks Epicenter
  3. In April 2014, golden-winged warblers in the mountains of Tennessee, songbirds weighing about as much as four dimes, fled their breeding grounds a day or two before a tornado outbreak and flew hundreds of miles south, while the scientists tracking them sheltered in a Waffle House Epicenter
  4. After record Nordic heatwave, Swedish researchers to recreate indoor heat to study older adults Epicenter

From around the web