In the 1968 Ebino earthquake sand boiling due to liquefaction was observed on the plains and river terraces formed from Shirasu and subsidence of bridge piers was reported. In the same year volcanic soil similar to Shirasu liquefied during the Tokachi Oki earthquake in Hokkaido. In March and May 1997 structural damage due to liquefaction was observed in the Kagoshima ken Hokuseibu earthquake in areas of coastal land reclamation at Akune harbour and Izumi and inland at Iriki. Since the Ebino earthquake liquefaction studies have been carried out on Shirasu but little attention has been paid in these studies to the unique characteristics of volcanic soils.