August 17, 1939 Eruption of Izu-Torishima

Name: August 17, 1939 Eruption of Izu-Torishima
Start: 1939-08-17
Location: Izu-Torishima, Japan

August 17, 1939 · VEI 2 · 2 deaths

Izu-Torishima in Japan erupted on August 17, 1939 with a Volcanic Explosivity Index of 2. The eruption killed 2 people.

Where it erupted

Izu-Torishima, Japan, with its other significant eruptions.

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The eruption

Date: August 17, 1939
Volcano: Izu-Torishima, stratovolcano
Country: Japan
Volcanic Explosivity Index: 2, moderate (eruption column 1 to 5 km)
Location: 30.484° N, 140.303° E

The toll

Deaths: 2

Where the literature gives no number, NCEI records a description on a scale of 1 to 4, printed here in its words. Damage is in millions of US dollars of the year of the event, not adjusted for inflation.

What the record says

NCEI’s account, from the sources it cites.

Two deaths. Cause not listed.

Other significant eruptions of Izu-Torishima

August 7, 1902VEI 3 · 125 deaths

Every eruption in 1939 The 1900s Izu-Torishima Earthquakes near Izu-Torishima This day in weather history

Sources

Volcanoes and significant eruptions from NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information, Global Historical Hazard Database, cited as NCEI/WDS, doi:10.7289/V5PN93H7. Public domain. Read 2026-09-24. Volcano numbers are the Smithsonian Institution’s Global Volcanism Program’s. NCEI event 2609.