Audrey Hiselman

1st Hour Geology

December 22, 2016

These Daredevils Literally Live In An Active Volcano

Forty miles off the coast of Japan, on the basaltic island of Aogashima, the locals live life on the

edge. Just 230 years ago, the volcano they live in erupted, killing half of the population.

However, that wont stop Aogashimas 205 residents from living on the caldera of an active

volcano.

Around 3,000 years ago, the island

peaked above the water, created from the

remains of four underwater volcanoes.

The steep cliffs were created by the

frequent eruptions of the stratovolcano

around the time of its birth. Somehow

created in the mess of it all, is

Aogashimas most striking anomaly. The

island of Aogashima, which is a volcano, has a smaller volcano sitting in the caldera of it.

Now, the lava and ash have cooled down, and greenery has flourished in its place, making it

seem like a beautiful and calm, tropical island. This paradise would eventually be settled by

humans. Though the date of the first settlement is unknown, the island had been mentioned in

Edo Period records, in 1652.

During the last eruption in 1785, the locals were alerted early in the morning by earthquakes that

something was about to go wrong. A few hours later, some volcanic debris puffed out of the
smaller, inner volcano. The locals knew they had to escape to the nearby island of Hachijojima,

but only half managed to get away before the volcano erupted a mass of debris, despite all of the

warning signs. A factor that might have played into this is the lack of a good harbor. Although

Aogashima does have a port, the waters are so violent, that even now, around half of all ferry

trips to the island are cancelled. This would have made it much harder for the townspeople of

Aogashima to escape the island, not to mention, some might have died from poor sailing

conditions.

Although the 1785 eruption was devastating to those who lived there, it only took 50 years for

people to move back to the island. And despite the volcanoes bad record, the locals love life on

Aogashima. The island is rich with geothermal activity, so not only do they have heating and

water for cooking provided by the volcano, there are also many hot springs, and a public sauna,

near the center of the island, which are a fantastic pastime for both tourists and local villagers.

Some people even bring food to cook on top of the vents, and the sauna even has a selection of

pots and pans intended for the visitors to use for their volcanic cooking.

Although you might now feel tempted to go visit the volcanic island for vacation, the only way

to reach the island is through a once a day helicopter flight that can seat nine, or a three hour

ferry ride. So, if you have a fear of heights or easily get seasick, then this isnt the vacation for

you.

Citations

Nalewicki, Jennifer. The Sleepy Japanese Town Inside An Active Volcano Smithsonian.
Smithsonian, 5 July. 2016
http://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/japanese-town-aogashima-active-volcano-180959153/
Smithsonian Institution Aogashima Smithsonian Institution. Smithsonian.
http://volcano.si.edu/volcano.cfm?vn=284060

Brett, Rebecca. Natural saunas, 200 inhabitants and only accessible by helicopter: Welcome to
the Japanese village inside the crater of a VOLCANO Daily Mail. Associated Papers Ltd.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/travel_news/article-2722033/Natural-saunas-200-inhabitants-
accessible-helicopter-Welcome-Japanese-village-inside-crater-VOLCANO.html

Geological Survey of Japan. Geology and Geohistory of Aogashima Volcano Geological

Survey of Japan. Geological Survey of Japan.
https://gbank.gsj.jp/volcano/Act_Vol/aogashima/text/eng/exp07-2e.html

Image: Charly W. Karl