Aira Caldera

Aira Caldera
姶良カルデラ
Space radar image of Aira Caldera, with Sakurajima in the bay formed by the caldera.
Location
Aira Caldera Kagoshima, Japan
Coordinates	31°40′01″N 130°40′01″E
Geology
Type	Caldera
Last eruption	c. 22,000 years ago

Aira Caldera (ja:姶良カルデラ Aira-Karudera) is a gigantic volcanic caldera in the south of the island of Kyūshū, Japan. The caldera was created by a massive eruption, approximately 22,000 years ago. Eruption of voluminous pyroclastic flows accompanied the formation of the 17 × 23 km-wide Aira caldera. Together with a large pumice fall, these amounted to more than 400 km³ of tephra (VEI 7).

The major city of Kagoshima and the 13,000-year-old Sakurajima volcano lie within the caldera. Sakura-jima, one of Japan's most active volcanoes, is a post-caldera cone of the Aira caldera at the northern half of Kagoshima Bay.

References

• Aramaki, Shigeo (1984). "Formation of the Aira Caldera, Southern Kyushu, ∼22,000 Years Ago". Journal of Geophysical Research 89 (B10): 8485–8501. Bibcode 1984JGR....89.8485A. doi:10.1029/JB089iB10p08485. http://www.agu.org/pubs/crossref/1984/JB089iB10p08485.shtml.