JMA reported that the daily sulfur dioxide emission rate at Minamidake Crater (at Aira Caldera?s Sakurajima volcano) was 700 tons/day on 3 August.
An explosion at 0538 on 9 August produced an ash plume that rose as high as 5 km above the crater rim; ejected blocks were not visually confirmed due to weather conditions.
Ashfall was reported in areas N of the crater including Kagoshima City (about 10 km W), Kirishima City (20 km NE), Yusui Town (40 km N), and parts of the Miyazaki Prefecture and the Kumamoto Prefecture.
After the explosion at 0538, smaller eruptions were intermittently detected through 10 August.
The Alert Level remained at 3 (on a 5-level scale).
Source: Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA)
Manam (Papua New Guinea)
