Tephrochronology and eruptive history of Kirishima volcano in southern Japan

Kirishima volcano has been active for the last 600 ka. From 600 to 330 ka, the activity mainly consisted of caldera-forming eruptions with two large-scale pyroclastic flows of >50 km3 in dense-rock equivalent (DRE). From 600 ka to present, 83% of the discharged magma has erupted as pyroclastic materials. After 330 ka, volcanic activity changed and stratovolcanoes started to be constructed with fallout tephras from plinian, vulcanian, Strombolian, and phreatomagmatic eruptions. Eruptive centers have roughly migrated from west to east, forming more than 25 small-scale stratovolcanoes and pyroclastic cones. The magma discharge rate has increased from 0.05 to 0.6 km3/ky. Kirishima is becoming increasingly more active, and a more accurate and detailed warning system for its eruptions is required.