Norikura volcano consists of an elongated group of small andesitic stratovolcanoes and craters arranged along a N-S line above a ridge crest in the southern part of the Northern Japan Alps. The 3026-m-high andesitic-to-dacitic volcano is the third highest in Japan and lies at the center of the Norikura volcanic zone extending from Yake-dake on the north to On-take on the south. Early eruptions occurred at both the northern and southern ends of the present-day volcano, forming stratovolcanoes that have been largely buried by later southward-migrating eruptions. Norilura-ake was active during the early Holocene, and the last eruption took place about 2000 years ago.