Mount Aso unleashed plumes of ash on Thursday, forcing the cancellation of at least thirteen flights slated to pass near the volcanic cluster.
“Today we cancelled eight flights departing from Kumamoto and four flights arriving there,” a spokesperson for Japan Airlines told Agence France-Presse, adding: “There was also one flight which changed destination to a nearby airport,” before noting that more flight plans could be disrupted if the eruption grows more severe. Kumamoto airport, meanwhile, said the ash had forced the cancellation of one international flight and the diversion of another.
The article also noted that the volcano, located on the southwestern island of Kyushu, “rumbled into life on Tuesday” and began belching an 800-meter column of ash by Thursday. It also highlighted meteorological warnings that “volcanic stones and ash could fall in a one-kilometer radius of the volcano.”
An article in Wired reported that those meteorologists have placed a level 2 (of 5) alert on the volcano, which is one of the Earth’s largest. The story added that the situation is not unprecedented: “from 1989 to 1994, Aso did produce a number of VEI 2 [Volcanic explosivity index, which runs on a 0 to 8 scale where 8 is the most powerful] explosive eruptions.” With this volcanic activity comes Aso’s dangerous beauty, pointing to the “…strong glow from the Nakadake crater” that has inspired many a cameraman to train their lenses on the crater.
You can see one of the most vivid videos of Mount Aso below:
—Kyle Mullin
Main Image: Newsweek/Twitter
