This week a significant eruption of Mount Shimnoe on the island of Kyushu in Japan sent ash billowing 15,000 feet into the atmosphere.  The mountain, part of a complex of 20 volcanoes, will be familiar to fans of James Bond movies. 

Shimnoe-dake (Shimnoe Peak) began to erupt on Wednesday prompting some flight cancelations from area airports and covering nearby cities in a coating of ash.  The Japanese government raised the alert level for the volcano and banned entry to an area in a one mile radius around the peak. 

According to the Global Volcanism Program, Shinmoe is part  of a group of 20 volcanoes north of Kagoshima Bay called Kirishima.  Eruptions in the area have occurred four times in the past 40 years however this recent is the largest in more than 50 years. The most recent significant even occurred on February 13, 1959 with others since 1900 occurring in 1946, 1923, 1913 and 1903.

James Bond fans may recall the volcano from “You Only Live Twice.” In the 1967 movie the villain, Ernst Blofeld, maintains a secret lair underneath the mountain. 

Activity at the volcano is gradually subsiding and no injuries have been reported.  Photos and video of the event nevertheless show that it was a significant eruption.   The ballooning ash cloud was large enough to be captured in images taken by NASA satellites.

Among the most impressive images are ones that have captured volcanic lightning, a phenomena which is not entirely understood.  You can learn more about it in this story on the Natural Disasters Examiner.

The video below captures the eruption – be sure to take note of the impressive flashes of pyroclastic lightning.