[O-01] Geoparks in Japan

[O01-P11] Research, education, and sightseeing in the Mishimamura village taking advantage of natural sulphur

*Hisashi OIWANE¹ (1.Mishimamura Village)

Keywords:geopark, caldera, education, sightseeing, sulphur

Satsuma Iwo-Jima is located at about 40 km south of the southern tip of the Kyushu Island. Also, the island is a volcanic island on the Northwestern edge of the Kikai Caldera. The eastern part of the island features Iwo-dake volcano, which shows fumarolic and hydrothermal activities. These activities have been benefiting local people, supplying natural sulphur ores for hundreds of years. Recently, we started to use the sulphur ore for diverse purposes, 1) for making fireworks using natural sulphur, 2) collaboration with academic studies, 3) study tour for students, and 4) adventure tour for tourists. In this presentation, I will introduce examples of our efforts to take advantage of the sulphur ore, as a part of a campaign to be certified as a member of the Japanese Geopark Network.