is an active
stratovolcano
A stratovolcano, also known as a composite volcano, is a typically conical volcano built up by many alternating layers (strata) of hardened lava and tephra. Unlike shield volcanoes, stratovolcanoes are characterized by a steep profile with ...
in the
Shikotsu-Tōya National Park,
Hokkaido
is the list of islands of Japan by area, second-largest island of Japan and comprises the largest and northernmost prefectures of Japan, prefecture, making up its own list of regions of Japan, region. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaidō fr ...
,
Japan
Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...
. It has erupted four times since 1900: in 1910 (which created Meiji-shinzan
[神沼克伊,小山悦郎 ''日本の火山を科学する 日本列島津々浦々、あなたの身近にある108の活火山とは？'' ソフトバンククリエイティブ 2011. .]), 1944–45 (which created
Shōwa-shinzan), August 7, 1977, and on March 31, 2000. To the north lies
Lake Tōya. Mount Usu formed on the southern rim of the
caldera
A caldera ( ) is a large cauldron-like hollow that forms shortly after the emptying of a magma chamber in a volcanic eruption. An eruption that ejects large volumes of magma over a short period of time can cause significant detriment to the str ...
containing the lake.
Mount Usu and Shōwa-shinzan are major tourist attractions in the Shikotsu-Tōya National Park. A
rope-way on Mount Usu takes visitors to viewing platforms overlooking Shōwa-shinzan. The 1977 eruption is mentioned in passing in
Alan Booth's travelogue, ''
The Roads to Sata''. The 2008
G8 Summit was held near Mount Usu at Lake Tōya.
See also
*
List of volcanoes in Japan
References
External links
Usuzan��
Japan Meteorological Agency
The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA; ''気象庁, Kishō-chō'') is a division of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism dedicated to the Scientific, scientific observation and research of natural phenomena. Headquartered ...
*
Usu Volcano��Geological Survey of Japan
Toya-Usu UNESCO Global Geopark
Active volcanoes
Mountains of Hokkaido
Shikotsu-Tōya National Park
Stratovolcanoes of Japan
VEI-5 volcanoes
Volcanoes of Hokkaido
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