Mount Suribachi

Suribachi
Aerial view of Mount Suribachi, photographed in 2001
Highest point
Elevation 169 m (554 ft) [1]
Prominence 169 metres (554 ft)
Coordinates 24°45′01″N 141°17′20″E / 24.75028°N 141.28889°E / 24.75028; 141.28889Coordinates: 24°45′01″N 141°17′20″E / 24.75028°N 141.28889°E / 24.75028; 141.28889 
Geography
Suribachi
Parent range Volcano Islands
Geology
Mountain type Cinder cone
Volcanic arc/belt Volcano Islands
Last eruption May 2, 2012[1]

Mount Suribachi (JPN.: 摺鉢山, Suribachiyama) is a 169 m high mountain at the southwest end of the island Iwo Jima (now officially Iō-tō) in the northwest Pacific Ocean, under the administration of Ogasawara Subprefecture, Tokyo Metropolis, Japan.

The mountain's name derives from its shape, resembling a suribachi or "grinding bowl." It is also known as the "Mount Pipe" (JPN: パイプ山, paipu-yama), since the sulfur gas and water vapor that rolls in from the summit, alongside the rest of the island, give the appearance of a smoking pipe when viewed from the sea.

Joe Rosenthal's famous photograph Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima was taken at the mountain's peak.

Geology

Geologically, the mountain is a cinder cone of andesite, formed by volcanic activity. It is thought that the mountain is a dormant vent to a still active volcano (designated Iō-tō, the name of the island as a whole). From 1889 to 1957, the Japanese government recorded 16 eruptions on the peak. One eruption lasted for 65 minutes, and created a crater with a diameter of 35 meters and a depth of 15 meters on the runway near the former World War II airfield.[2] The Japanese Meteorological Agency reported that on May 2, 2012, a small eruption caused water discoloration to the northeast, and confirmed the appearance of a new fumarole.[1]

History

During World War II, the Japanese built underground tunnel and bunker systems in and on Mount Suribachi. In February 1945, United States Marines invaded the island and initiated a major battle. For the United States, Iwo Jima was an important strategic point between the United States and mainland Japan, a status that resulted in severe fighting that took the lives of nearly 7,000 Americans and 20,000 Japanese. Photographer Joe Rosenthal took his famous picture, Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima during this battle.

The film Sands of Iwo Jima, directed by Allan Dwan and starring John Wayne in 1949, follows a United States Marine rifle squad preparing for battle at Iwo Jima. The films Letters from Iwo Jima and Flags of Our Fathers, directed by Clint Eastwood in 2006, treat the theme of this Pacific battle and present the positions of both belligerents in this conflict.

Suribachi is the name assigned by Marine Navajo codetalkers to the mountain during the Battle of Iwo Jima. It means "sheep dog cat" in Navajo.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Ioto". Global Volcanism Program. Smithsonian Institution.
  2. ↑ Fisherl, Richard Virgil; Grant Heiken; Jeffrey B. Hulen (1997). Volcanoes: Crucibles of Change. Princeton University Press. ISBN 0-6910-0249-5.
  • Ioto - Japan Meteorological Agency (in Japanese)
  • "Ioto: National catalogue of the active volcanoes in Japan" (PDF). - Japan Meteorological Agency
  • Io to - Geological Survey of Japan
  • "Ioto". Global Volcanism Program. Smithsonian Institution.
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