Mount Mihara
Encyclopedia
is an active volcano on the Japanese isle of Izu Ōshima
. Although the volcano is predominantly basalt
ic, major eruptions have occurred at intervals of 100–150 years.
From a vantage point near the top of the cone it was possible to leap straight into the lava
flow. As a result, the volcano became a popular venue for suicide
s. Beginning in the 1920s, several suicides occurred in the volcano every week; more than six hundred people jumped in 1936. Authorities eventually erected a fence around the base of the structure to curb the number of suicides.
Mount Mihara's major eruption in 1986 saw spectacular lava fountains up to 1.6 kilometers high. The eruption had a VEI
of 3, and involved a: Central vent eruption, radial fissure eruption, explosive eruption, lava flows and a lava lake
eruption. There was also a 16-km high subplinian
plume. All of the island's 12,000 inhabitants were evacuated by dozens of vessels consisting of both the military and civilian volunteers.
The most recent eruption was in 1990.
in the movie Godzilla 1985
. Five years later, in the sequel Godzilla vs. Biollante
, bombs placed on Mt. Mihara go off and release Godzilla from his fiery tomb. In the novel/motion picture Ring
, by Suzuki Koji, it is the location where Shizuko Yamamura, mother of the infamous Sadako Yamamura, took her own life.
Izu Oshima
is a volcanic island in the Izu Islands and administered by the Tokyo Metropolitan government, Japan, lies about 100 km south of Tokyo, 22 km east of the Izu Peninsula and 36 km southwest of Bōsō Peninsula. serves as the local government of the island...
. Although the volcano is predominantly basalt
Basalt
Basalt is a common extrusive volcanic rock. It is usually grey to black and fine-grained due to rapid cooling of lava at the surface of a planet. It may be porphyritic containing larger crystals in a fine matrix, or vesicular, or frothy scoria. Unweathered basalt is black or grey...
ic, major eruptions have occurred at intervals of 100–150 years.
From a vantage point near the top of the cone it was possible to leap straight into the lava
Lava
Lava refers both to molten rock expelled by a volcano during an eruption and the resulting rock after solidification and cooling. This molten rock is formed in the interior of some planets, including Earth, and some of their satellites. When first erupted from a volcanic vent, lava is a liquid at...
flow. As a result, the volcano became a popular venue for suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
s. Beginning in the 1920s, several suicides occurred in the volcano every week; more than six hundred people jumped in 1936. Authorities eventually erected a fence around the base of the structure to curb the number of suicides.
Mount Mihara's major eruption in 1986 saw spectacular lava fountains up to 1.6 kilometers high. The eruption had a VEI
Volcanic Explosivity Index
The Volcanic Explosivity Index was devised by Chris Newhall of the U.S. Geological Survey and Stephen Self at the University of Hawaii in 1982 to provide a relative measure of the explosiveness of volcanic eruptions....
of 3, and involved a: Central vent eruption, radial fissure eruption, explosive eruption, lava flows and a lava lake
Lava lake
Lava lakes are large volumes of molten lava, usually basaltic, contained in a volcanic vent, crater, or broad depression. The term is used to describe both lava lakes that are wholly or partly molten and those that are solidified...
eruption. There was also a 16-km high subplinian
Plinian eruption
Plinian eruptions, also known as 'Vesuvian eruptions', are volcanic eruptions marked by their similarity to the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79 ....
plume. All of the island's 12,000 inhabitants were evacuated by dozens of vessels consisting of both the military and civilian volunteers.
The most recent eruption was in 1990.
Mihara in popular culture
In the realm of fiction, Mount Mihara was the place where the Japanese government imprisoned GodzillaGodzilla
is a daikaijū, a Japanese movie monster, first appearing in Ishirō Honda's 1954 film Godzilla. Since then, Godzilla has gone on to become a worldwide pop culture icon starring in 28 films produced by Toho Co., Ltd. The monster has appeared in numerous other media incarnations including video games,...
in the movie Godzilla 1985
The Return of Godzilla
The Return of Godzilla The Return of Godzilla The Return of Godzilla (released as in Japan and as Godzilla 1985 in North America, is a 1984 Science Fiction Kaiju film. The sixteenth film in Toho's Godzilla series, it was produced by Tomoyuki Tanaka and directed by Koji Hashimoto with special...
. Five years later, in the sequel Godzilla vs. Biollante
Godzilla vs. Biollante
is a 1989 science fiction kaiju film written and directed by Kazuki Ōmori. It was the seventeenth film to be released in the Godzilla franchise and the second in terms of the franchise's Heisei period...
, bombs placed on Mt. Mihara go off and release Godzilla from his fiery tomb. In the novel/motion picture Ring
Ring (film)
is a 1998 Japanese horror film by Hideo Nakata, adapted from the novel Ring by Kōji Suzuki, which in turn draws on the Japanese folk tale Banchō Sarayashiki. The film stars Nanako Matsushima, Hiroyuki Sanada, and Rikiya Ōtaka as members of a divorced family...
, by Suzuki Koji, it is the location where Shizuko Yamamura, mother of the infamous Sadako Yamamura, took her own life.