Daily Journal

Day 5 | July 22, 2005

Exploring Oshima volcano

The first site that the team visited this morning was an observation well located on the north rim of the caldera of Oshima volcano. The well was venting hot steam, which allowed us to collect water condensate in addition to gas samples.

The afternoon was spent hiking to the summit of Mt. Mihara, the main peak of Oshima volcano. The aerial photograph clearly shows the caldera rim, Mt. Mihara's crater and the chain of craters which were the location of the 1986 fire-fountains. The dark basaltic lava flows from the 1986 eruption are visible on the flanks of Mt. Mihara. At the peak of the volcano, we made a small offering and prayed for good samples (and, of course, for the volcano not to erupt during our visit).

Fortunately for the weary hikers, the volcano was conveniently located near an ice cream vending machine. The technologically advanced vending machines of Japan offer much more than your typical soda. Beer, fries and ice cream can be bought easily for mere coins. Thus, in addition to gas and fluids, the team was able to sample ice cold refreshments - held at -22°C!