A supervolcano in Japan could erupt within the next 100 years as geologists recently discovered it beginning to wake up from a 7,300-year-old slumber.
A lava dome has been steadily expanding within the Kikai caldera, which lies south of Japan’s southernmost island.
The dome has expanded over time, according to the researchers.
By studying the magma plumbing, volcanologists hope to get better insight into the entire caldera system.
They would then be able to better predict when the next eruption will occur.
The dome, or a trapped buildup of lava, has a volume of about eight cubic miles, a diameter of about six miles, and a height of almost 2,000 feet, according to the researchers.
That’s bigger than the calderas in similar volcanos, such as the Yellowstone caldera.
More than 110 million people live in an area of risk.
The supervolcano, so-called because of its immense size and the fact that an eruption would be so much bigger than a regular volcano, last erupted about 7,300 years ago.
It also erupted around 95,000 years ago and 140,000 years ago.
Researchers are planning to study the volcano more in March 2018 using various instruments, including seismic and electromagnetic methods to determine the existence of the magma buildup.
“Based on results from these surveys, the team plans to continue monitoring and aims to pioneer a method for predicting giant caldera eruptions,” they said.
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