July 12, 1940 Eruption of Miyakejima

Name: July 12, 1940 Eruption of Miyakejima
Start: 1940-07-12
Location: Miyakejima, Japan

July 12, 1940 · VEI 2 · 11 deaths · 24 houses destroyed

Miyakejima in Japan erupted on July 12, 1940 with a Volcanic Explosivity Index of 2. The eruption killed 11 people.

Where it erupted

Miyakejima, Japan, with its other significant eruptions.

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The eruption

Date: July 12, 1940
Volcano: Miyakejima, stratovolcano
Country: Japan
Volcanic Explosivity Index: 2, moderate (eruption column 1 to 5 km)
Killed by: Lava flows
Location: 34.094° N, 139.526° E

The toll

Deaths: 11
Injuries: 20
Houses destroyed: 24

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.

11 killed, 20 injured. (reference #9675)

The eruption killed 11 people, injured 20, killed 35 cattle, completely destroyed or burned down 24 houses, and caused extensive additional damage. (reference #12936)

Other significant eruptions of Miyakejima

Every eruption in 1940 The 1900s Miyakejima Earthquakes near Miyakejima 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 2583.