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Volcanic Activity Lab
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The lab continuously monitors Hokkaido's active volcanoes with the aim of predicting eruptions.
AboutAbout the lab
Measuring volcanoes to understand how they work
The Volcanic Activity Lab carries out observational research on volcanoes based on geophysical methods.
It grew out of the Usu Volcano Observatory, established in 1977 for research on volcanic eruption prediction, and works with universities across Japan, the Japan Meteorological Agency, and others.
It maintains observation facilities at the five major volcanoes in Hokkaido (Mt. Meakan, Mt. Tokachi, Mt. Tarumae, Mt. Usu, and Mt. Hokkaido-Komagatake) and at Noboribetsu volcano, and continues observations every day.
The mission of this field is to catch the messages that volcanoes send and to scientifically predict how their activity will progress; in other words, to put volcanic eruption prediction into practical use.
Key terms
- Geophysics
- The study of what happens inside and on the surface of the Earth, using physical methods to measure earthquakes, crustal deformation, gravity, electromagnetic fields, and more
- Eruption prediction
- Estimating in advance, based on observational data, when and how a volcano will erupt and how its activity will evolve afterward
NewsLab news
A paper summarizing the activity and observations of Ebinokogen Ioyama since the 20th century is published in Chigaku Zasshi (Journal of Geography)
A paper analyzing an eruption of an Alaskan volcano from acoustic waves in the air and seismic waves is published in Geophysical Research Letters
A paper investigating shallow thermal activity at Tokachidake through repeated drone-based magnetic surveys is published in Earth, Planets and Space (EPS)
A research group including Kyushu University and others points to the possibility of a large magma reservoir beneath Akan Caldera
The Research Center for Seismology and Volcanology holds a lab assignment information session for third-year students in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences
ResearchResearch themes
The lab seeks to uncover how volcanic activity works through observational research using geophysical methods. It aims to capture the various phenomena that appear around a volcano as magma approaches the surface and to interpret their meaning comprehensively.
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MembersFaculty
Members of the Volcanic Activity Lab include faculty, technical staff, administrative assistants, and doctoral, master's, and undergraduate students.As of 2026
- ProfessorHiroshi Aoyama
- Associate ProfessorRyo Tanaka
- Assistant ProfessorDan Muramatsu
VoicesStudent voices
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Report an errorAbout the images
The top and research theme images are illustrative and were not taken at the lab. They are cropped from Wikimedia Commons images. Cropped CC BY-SA images are provided under the same CC BY-SA license as the original (version shown on each line).
- Top image: “Mount Usu from Shōwa-shinzan ( )” Hiroshi Nakai / CC BY 2.0 (cropped)
- Observing Hokkaido's volcanoes every day: “Mount Tarumae seen from the SSE” Ray Swi-hymn / CC BY-SA 2.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (地震観測研究分野): “Seismogram at Weston Observatory” Z22 / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (地震学研究室): “Ashio Seismological Observatory” Qurren / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (海底地震・津波研究分野): “Blooms off Japan (MODIS )” MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC / Public domain (cropped)
- Related lab (岩石学火山学研究グループ): “Sarychev Volcano edit” Sarychev_Volcano.jpg: NASA derivative work: Avenue (talk) / Public domain (cropped)
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