Aira Caldera
Appearance
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fc/Japan_kyushu_map_small.png/105px-Japan_kyushu_map_small.png)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/ac/Sakura-jima_from_space.jpg/250px-Sakura-jima_from_space.jpg)
Aira Caldera 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. The major city of Kagoshima, Kagoshima and the 13,000 year old Sakurajima volcano lies 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. Eruption of voluminous pyroclastic flows accompanied formation of the 17 x 23 km wide Aira caldera at the eruption 22,000 years ago.