Chirippusan [Chirip]

Geography & Climate

Chirippusan [Chirip] is located in Japan - administered by Russia, within the Kuril Volcanic Arc of the broader Northwestern Pacific Volcanic Regions. Situated at 45.34° N, 147.92° E in the Northern Hemisphere, the volcano lies within a temperate climate zone. With a summit elevation of 1,587 meters above sea level, Chirippusan [Chirip] is a moderately sized peak that remains accessible to hikers and researchers for much of the year. The volcanic landform is characterized as a composite, which describes the physical shape and structure of the volcanic edifice as observed from the surface.

Geological Context

Chirippusan [Chirip] sits in a subduction zone, where one tectonic plate dives beneath another, creating intense heat and pressure that generates magma. Subduction zones are responsible for many of the world's most explosive volcanoes and deadliest eruptions. For communities in Japan - administered by Russia near Chirippusan [Chirip], this tectonic setting means the volcano is capable of producing powerful explosive eruptions, pyroclastic flows, and lahars that can threaten populated areas within tens of kilometers of the summit. The dominant rock type is basalt / picro-basalt, a dark, fine-grained volcanic rock that forms from rapidly cooling, low-viscosity lava. Basaltic eruptions tend to be less explosive and produce fluid lava flows that can travel long distances. While less immediately dangerous than explosive eruptions, basaltic lava flows can destroy structures and infrastructure in their path, and volcanic gases released during these eruptions can affect air quality over a wide area.

Eruption History Summary

Chirippusan [Chirip] has 2 recorded eruptions in the geological database, spanning from 1843 CE to 1860 CE. The most powerful recorded event was an explosive event producing ash plumes up to several kilometers in 1843 CE, reaching VEI 2 on the Volcanic Explosivity Index. These eruptions span roughly 17 years of volcanic history.

GVP Reference Summary

Chirippusan (also simply Chirip) volcano is on the Chirip Peninsula, which extends N into the Sea of Okhotsk from central Iturup Island. The summits of two overlapping stratovolcanoes are ~4.5 km apart along a volcanic ridge, with Kitachirippusan on the north and Minamichirippu (also called Bogdan Khmelnitskii) on the south. Lava flows from both edifices are truncated by a large 4-km-wide depression on the west side of the peninsula. Basaltic rocks dominate at both volcanoes over basaltic andesite and andesitic products. Kitachirippusan has a shallow summit crater, partially filled by a small lake, that has fed lava flows down all sides; satellitic cones are located on the northern flank. Lava flows from Minamichirippusan reach the coast on both the east and west. Only two eruptions are known, one in 1843 CE and another in 1860 CE from a vent SE of the Minamichirippusan summit.

— Smithsonian Institution, Global Volcanism Program