THE GREAT ERUPTION OF SARURA-JIMA IN 3914. 5 



glare from a point at seven-tenths of the altitude on the eastern 

 slope of the highest peak, which emitted strong smoke or ash- 

 clouds to a height of 3-4,000 feet. Suwanosé was again strongly- 

 shaken, producing fissures in the ground on September 3rd, 8 p. m., 

 1915, on account of which almost the whole population (250 souls) fled 

 terror-stricken to Oshima. The volcanic earthquakes continued then 

 for two weeks with waning energy. The active centre lies within the 

 crater, 800 m. high, in the middle of the island. It remained tran- 

 quil till the late strong earthquake, whence it slightly revived per- 

 iodically ejecting ash-clouds. Suwanosé in sea and Kirishima on land 

 {Sy and K in Fig. 1) are the two loci in the Ryùkyù volcanic chain 

 which are at present constantly disturbed by volcanic paroxysms. 



Then come in the series (5) the imposing solfataric Nakano-shima 

 N, and (6) the smoking Kuchino-shima K-^ in Fig. 1. 



Farther north there lies (7) the solfataric Kuchino-Erabu or 

 ' Front Erabu ' K, in Figs. 1 and 2. Geologically speaking, the 

 last is already situated within the shattered region {sec footnote 

 p. 21 and p. 22) of southern Kyiishii. Still farther nortli we 

 find the geologically connate equatorial scries of three islands, of 

 which (8) Iwô-jima (7 in Figs. 1 and 2) or ' Sulphur Island ' — the 

 Lipari island of South Japan — is active; it exploded on March 31, 

 1914. Iwô-jima was colonized seven hundred years ago. In annals 

 of old families some records of volcanic activity may be found, if 

 search is made {see p. 21). 



Beyond the Strait of Osumi or Van Diemen Strait on the north, 

 we come to Kaimon and Sakura-jima as far as Aso at an average 

 distance of 45 km. from one another. See Fig. 2, K^, S, A. 



A) The Peri-Tunghai Tectonic Line and the Genesis of the 

 RyùkyCi Arc— As it has been already stated that Sakura-jima is 



