| Kuchinoerabu-jima | |
| Native Name: | Japanese: 口永良部島 |
| Location: | East China Sea |
| Coordinates: | 30.4667°N 141°W |
| Archipelago: | Ōsumi Islands |
| Area Km2: | 38.04 |
| Length Km: | 12 |
| Width Km: | 5 |
| Coastline Km: | 49.67 |
| Highest Mount: | Furudake |
| Elevation M: | 657 |
| Country Admin Divisions: | Kagoshima Prefecture |
| Population: | 147 |
| Population As Of: | 2010 |
| Density Km2: | 3.86 |
| Ethnic Groups: | Japanese |
| Additional Info: | Last eruption date 2020 |
, is one of the Satsunan Islands, usually classed with the Ōsumi Islands belonging to Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan. The island, in area, has a population of 147. The island can only be reached by boat as it has no airport. There is regular ferry service with Yakushima, which is about 15 km to the east. Travel time is approximately 1 hour. The islanders are dependent mainly on fishing, agriculture and seasonal tourism. The entire island is within the borders of the Kirishima-Yaku National Park.
Kuchinoerabu-jima is located 130km (80miles) south of Kagoshima. The island is of volcanic origin, and has an area of approximately 38sqkm with a length of 12km (07miles) and width of 5km (03miles). The highest elevations on the island are, with a height of 657m (2,156feet) and, with a height of 640m (2,100feet) above sea level. There are numerous hot springs on the island.The island is an active volcano which has erupted several times during the modern period, including 24 December 1933, when several people were killed when lava masses buried several villages. In 1980, multiple explosion craters appeared along an 800m (2,600feet) north-south fissure on the slope east of Shindake. Shindake erupted again on 4 August 2014, generating a pyroclastic flow, but with no injuries or fatalities.[1] The main crater erupted on the morning of 29 May 2015, prompting a level 5 alert level and the evacuation of the island.[2]
The island's climate is classified as subtropical, with a rainy season from May through September.
During the Edo period, Kuchinoerabu-jima was ruled by the Shimazu clan of Satsuma Domain and was considered part of Ōsumi Province. Following the Meiji restoration, it was administered as Kuchinoerabujima Village, which encompassed part of Yakushima. It is now part of the city of Yakushima, Kagoshima.
Kuchinoerabu-jima is the last known location of missing American poet Craig Arnold, who was visiting the island in April 2009, doing research for a book on volcanos.[3]
On May 18, 2015, Japanese scientists detected increased seismic activity and steam rising from the Shindake's crater, and on May 29, 2015, an eruption sent an ash cloud an estimated 30000abbr=offNaNabbr=off into the sky.[4] No deaths and only one minor injury were reported by the Japanese government. The island's 140 residents were evacuated by Japan's coast guard. Previous eruptions occurred in August, 2014 and in 1980.[5] [6]
Shindake crater erupted on December 18, 2018, ejecting an ash cloud 2 kilometers into above cloud coverage.[7] Thirty days later on January 17, 2019, Shindake erupted again, sending pyroclastic flows 1.5 kilometers to the southwest and northwest of the crater as well as an ash cloud 6 kilometers into the atmosphere.[8]