Hokkaido 4 – The Akan Caldera, Hokkaido, Japan

Annotated topographic map of Akan caldera, caldera lake, and post-caldera volcanoes. Lake Kussharo is off the image at the upper right. Image courtesy Plate Tectonic Narod.ru.

The Vice King of the Caucasus – KAZBEK 🇬🇪

Mt. Kazbek, Gergeti Trinity Church and Gergeti village below. – Says one travel website: “Climb to the Gergeti Trinity Church. This is the number 1 thing to do in Kazbegi – going to Kazbegi and not going to this Church would be… strange”. Quite understandable, looking at this picture postcard view, isn’t it?  (© Jazzanova, via Wikimedia)

I remember, as a teen, I loved rummaging in my mother’s enormous picture postcard collection – what a treasure! There was a photo in it that I never forgot in my life: An old Orthodox church sitting on a ridge high above a village and, behind the church, the humongous

Hokkaido 3 – The Kutcharo Caldera, Hokkaido, Japan

Lake Kussharo in winter. Note that the lake is not frozen. Image courtesy Ten via YouTube.

 

This is the second of three posts on the East Hokkaido Caldera Field.  This post is centered on the Kutcharo (Kussaro or Kuttyaro) volcanic complex.

Hokkaido 2 – The Mashu Caldera, Hokkaido, Japan

Mashu caldera in winter with Kamuinupuri to the right of the photo and the Kamuishu dome in the middle of the lake. Image courtesy Wiki

 

The Toya – Usu post led me to the interesting volcanic history of Hokkaido, Japan.  Found a multiple caldera complex in eastern Hokkaido with three calderas in close proximity to one another.  Will write about these for the next few posts.

NEMRUT DAğI* 🇹🇷 – ANOTHER CANDIDATE FOR A FUTURE “DECADE VOLCANO”?

View over the caldera of Nemrut Dağı. (© Emin Noyan; screengrab from GEarth photo)

The spectacular caldera of Nemrut Dağı: light snow cover enhances all the volcanic features inside. (NASA image ISS001-E-6354 taken on 2001.02.13)

Preliminary note:
I have started work on this post long before the latest unacceptable political developments, so, it is pure coincidence that it’s getting published just now. In the region around Nemrut Dağı live Kurdish, Turkish and Armenian people. I wish peace for them all – and hopefully, my post will inspire interest in this wonderful part of the world.

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Nemrut Dağı* volcano has so many interesting features within and outside its caldera that it would probably take a several-week-long holiday do visit and explore them all. It has produced many colourful layers in ignimbrites during its various, mainly Plinian eruptions, as well as lava domes and obsidian flows, open fissures, steam chimneys, lava caves, what have you. I think this will become my favourite volcano!

Usu, Nakajima and the Toya Caldera, Hokkaido, Japan (Hokkaido 1)

Panoramic photo of Lake Toya and Toya Caldera looking west. Nakajima Island(s) are located in the lake in the right portion of the image. Usu volcano is left of the lake straddling the land between the lake to the right and the ocean to the left. Image courtesy Toya-Usu UNESCO Global Geopark

Cut, Corroded and Collapsed – Gunung PAPANDAYAN (🇮🇩)

“Vulkan Papandajan auf Java” (1905). Painting by the German zoologist and naturalist Ernst Haeckel (1834-1919).

G. Papandayan seen from the north. Complete mountain range on the left; zoom into the main crater with the head scarp of the 1772 collapse on the right. (© GMaps)

Papandayan is the volcano you can actually see on satellite images (e.g. Google Earth) even from a view point 800 km above ground – it is the white patch of a collapse scar that stands out in stark contrast from the dark green forest. The volcano sits at the southern end of the Kendang-Papandayan mountain range.

G. Papandayan is generally said to be 2665 m high but there seems to be some confusion as to location and actual height

June 22 Eruption at Raikoke, Kuril Islands

 

NASA ISS photo of Raikoke in eruption taken June 22. Active plume with water vapor collar at the base. Water vapor collar at the base may be due to ambient air sucked upwards with the plume. Alternately, it may be due to interaction of pyroclastic flows with surrounding sea water. Image courtesy NASA Earth Observatory.

Simushir Island – Nested Calderas and Secret Sub Bases, Central Kuril Islands

Simushir Island. Volcanoes named on the image. Photo courtesy Japan Space ASTER, Oct. 2004.

Suwanose-jima, one of Japan’s Most Active Volcanoes

Suwanose-jima island and Otake volcano in its center. Flank collapse and new pyroclastic cone are clearly visible on the center and to the east of the crater. Image screen capture via Google maps.