Major eruption may occur at Mt. Shinmoe: experts
Jiji -- Oct 20
Japan's volcanic eruption prediction committee offered the view Thursday that a major eruption may occur at Mount Shinmoe in the southwestern region of Kyushu.

Gathering in the city of Kagoshima, senior members of the committee analyzed recent activities of the volcano straddling Kagoshima and Miyazaki prefectures.

After the meeting, Kazuhiro Ishihara, honorary professor at Kyoto University and chair of the committee, told a press conference that the amount of magma accumulating beneath the mountain has reached around the level seen in 2011, when the previous major blast happened.

If a large quantity of magma is supplied further, there could be a big eruption, according to the commission members' consensus view.

On Oct. 11, the volcano in the Kirishima Ridge erupted for the first time since Sept. 7, 2011. The mountain turned silent on Tuesday, but the meteorological agency has maintained the volcanic alert level 3 on the scale 5.

News source: Jiji