Abu
Nankai Volcanic Arc, Japan. This page separates the permanent volcano catalogue, historical eruption records, and selective weekly activity reports.
- Coordinates
- 34.48° N, 131.52° E
- Elevation
- 641 m
- Last recorded eruption
- 6851 BCE
- Historical eruption records
- 1
- Primary type
- Volcanic field
- Evidence
- Eruption Dated
- GVP database
- 5.4.0
- Catalogue revision
- Revision 2
Volcano profile
- Volcanic landform
- Cluster
- Tectonic setting
- Subduction zone / Continental crust (> 25 km)
- Geologic epoch
- Holocene
- Major rock type
- Andesite / Basaltic Andesite
- Region
- Western Pacific Volcanic Regions
- Subregion
- Nankai Volcanic Arc
Geological summary
The dominantly Pleistocene Abu volcano group, located along northern coast near the SW end of Honshu, consists of basaltic-to-dacitic lava flows, small shield volcanoes (some with associated cinder cones), and lava domes. More than 40 monogenetic volcanoes are located in an area of 400 km2. Iraoyama forms the high point of this group of edifices, some of which form offshore islands or submarine vents. Volcanism here is considered to be related to subduction of the Philippine Sea Plate. An earlier phase of activity during the late-Pliocene to early Pleistocene was followed by renewed activity about 800,000 years ago that continued into the Holocene. The latest known activity was determined by thermoluminescence to be about 8,800 years ago, when the Kasayama scoria cone was formed.
Separate activity dataset
Weekly volcanic activity reports
Smithsonian/USGS weekly reports are selective and preliminary. They are not a comprehensive list of all eruptions or volcanic activity.
No weekly report appears on this page. Absence from the weekly report does not establish an absence of volcanic activity.
Historical catalogue records
Eruption history
Dates can be approximate, incomplete, or BCE. These are historical catalogue observations, not a statement about present activity.
| Start | End | Activity | Confirmation | VEI | Evidence | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ? 6851 BCE | Not supplied | Confirmed EruptionKasa-yama | Confirmed | Not supplied | Radiogenic: Thermoluminescence | GVP 17369Database 5.4.0 |
Source and attribution
Source: Data: Smithsonian Institution Global Volcanism Program, Volcanoes of the World.
View the original Smithsonian GVP recordGlobal Volcanism Program, 2026. Volcanoes of the World 5.4.0.
The GVP database is scientific documentation that changes as evidence is reviewed. Historical dates may be approximate or uncertain. This platform is not an official emergency-warning service.
Read the GVP terms of useData freshness
- Source updated
- Not supplied
- Retrieved
- 11 Oct 2026, 13:07 UTC
- GVP database version
- 5.4.0
- Catalogue revision
- 2
Source-update and retrieval times describe this catalogue record. Each weekly report carries its own publication date and preliminary status.