Mount Usu | |
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有珠山 Usu-zan | |
Highest point | |
Elevation | 733 m (2,405 ft) [1] [2] |
Listing | Mountains of Japan |
Coordinates | 42°32′37″N 140°50′21″E / 42.5435°N 140.8392°E [1] |
Geography | |
Parent range | Nasu Volcanic Zone |
Topo map | Geographical Survey Institute 25,000:1 壮瞥, 50,000:1 虻田 |
Geology | |
Mountain type | Stratovolcano |
Type of rock | Basalt, Andesite, Dacite and Rhyolite [2] |
Volcanic arc/ belt | Northeast Japan Arc |
Last eruption | March 2000 to September 2001 [2] |
Mount Usu (有珠山, Usu-zan [3]) is an active stratovolcano in the Shikotsu-Tōya National Park, Hokkaido, Japan. It has erupted four times since 1900: in 1910 (which created Meiji-shinzan [4]), 1944–45 (which created Shōwa-shinzan), August 7, 1977, [5] and on March 31, 2000. To the north lies Lake Tōya. Mount Usu formed on the southern rim of the caldera 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. [6]
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