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Aogashima

Coordinates: 32°27′25.2″N 139°46′1.2″E / 32.457000°N 139.767000°E / 32.457000; 139.767000
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This article is about the island. For the administrative village that spans it, see Aogashima, Tokyo.
Aogashima
Native name:
青ヶ島
Geography
LocationIzu Islands
Coordinates32°27′25.2″N 139°46′1.2″E / 32.457000°N 139.767000°E / 32.457000; 139.767000
ArchipelagoIzu Islands
Area8.75 km2 (3.38 sq mi)
Length3.5 km (2.17 mi)
Width2.5 km (1.55 mi)
Coastline9 km (5.6 mi)
Highest elevation423 m (1388 ft)
Administration
Japan
PrefectureTokyo
SubprefectureHachijō Subprefecture
VillageAogashima
Demographics
Population170 (January 2014)

Aogashima (青ヶ島) is a volcanic island to the south of Japan in northernmost Micronesia. It is the southernmost and most isolated inhabited island of the Izus, which are politically and administratively part of Japan but geographically not part of the Japanese archipelago. The islands border the northeast Philippine Sea and lie immediately north of the Bonin Islands, which are also governed by Japan.[1][2] The island is approximately 358 kilometres (222 mi) south of Tokyo and 64 kilometres (40 mi) south of Hachijō-jima.

The village of Aogashima administers the island under Hachijō Subprefecture of Tokyo Metropolis. The island's area is 8.75 km2 (3.38 sq mi) and, as of 2014, its population is 170. Aogashima is also within the boundaries of the Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park.

Geology

Aogashima is a complex Quaternary volcanic island 3.5 km in length with a maximum width of 2.5 km, formed by the overlapping remnants of at least four submarine calderas. The island is surrounded by very steep rugged cliffs of layered volcanic deposits. The southern coast also rises to a sharp ridge forming one edge of a caldera named Ikenosawa (池之沢) with a diameter of 1.5 km. The caldera dominates the island, with one point on its southern ridge, Otonbu (大凸部) with a height of 423 metres (1,388 ft), as the island's highest point. The caldera is occupied by a secondary cone named Maruyama (丸山). Still considered a Class-C active volcano by the Japan Meteorological Agency, the last eruption of Aogashima was during a four-year period from 1781–1785. It is located along the Izu–Bonin–Mariana Arc.

  • Maruyama is the central cone in the caldera
    Maruyama is the central cone in the caldera
  • Maruyama in a close view
    Maruyama in a close view

Important Bird Area

The island has been recognised as an Important Bird Area (IBA) by BirdLife International because it supports populations of Japanese woodpigeons, Pleske's grasshopper warblers, Ijima's leaf-warblers and Izu thrushes.[3]

History

The history of human settlement on Aogashima is uncertain. Most of the people on Aogashima are Japanese. The island is mentioned in Edo period records kept at Hachijō-jima, which recorded volcanic activity in 1652, and from 1670 to 1680. An earthquake swarm in July 1780 was followed by steam rising from the lakes in the Ikenosawa Caldera. Further earthquakes in May 1781 led to an eruption. In April 1783, lava flows from the Maruyama cone resulted in the evacuation of all 63 households on the island. During a massive eruption in 1785, some 130–140 of the population of 327 islanders perished.

See also

References

  1. ^ Gotoh, H. et al. (2010). "Infrastructure Maintenance and Disaster Prevention Measures on Isolated Islands: the Case of the Izu Islands near Tokyo" in Island Sustainability (Favro, S., editor), p. 187.
  2. ^ Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Izu Shotō," Japan Encyclopedia, p. 412.
  3. ^ "Aogashima Island". BirdLife Data Zone. BirdLife International. 2021. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
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