September 6, 1979 Eruption of Asosan

Name: September 6, 1979 Eruption of Asosan
Start: 1979-09-06
Location: Asosan, Japan

September 6, 1979 · VEI 2 · 3 deaths

Asosan in Japan erupted on September 6, 1979 with a Volcanic Explosivity Index of 2. The eruption killed 3 people.

Where it erupted

Asosan, Japan, with its other significant eruptions.

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The eruption

Date: September 6, 1979
Volcano: Asosan, caldera
Country: Japan
Volcanic Explosivity Index: 2, moderate (eruption column 1 to 5 km)
Killed by: Tephra (ash, bombs, lapilli, steam blasts)
Location: 32.885° N, 131.085° E

The toll

Deaths: 3
Injuries: 11

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.

Block ejection killed 3 tourists and injured 11, near ropeway station about 850 m NNE of crater. (reference #9675)

Other significant eruptions of Asosan

Every eruption in 1979 The 1900s Asosan Earthquakes near Asosan 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 4479.