Akusekijima

Akusekijima is a small stratovolcano in the southern Ryukyu Islands. Most of the island is surrounded by steep cliffs, and beaches are found only on the SW and SE sides. The andesitic-dacitic volcano consists of two older somma volcanoes, Biroyama and Nakadake.

Mitake lava dome forms the high point of the small 2. 5 x 3. 2 km wide island.

The dacitic Omune lava flow on the NE flank was K-Ar dated at less than 80,000 BP; its youthful morphology and lack of overlying tephra layers suggests it could be as young as the Holocene (Furuyama et al. , 2002). The lava flow, the youngest product of the volcano, forms a low-angle plateau overlying cliffs forming the northern coast.