Surely you have ever seen in one of the Japanese animated series of the Mount FujiThis is the most famous volcano in all of Japan and is located in Shizuoka Prefecture on the island of Honshu. Its full name in Japanese is Fuji-san, although it is also known by other names such as Fujisan, Fuji-no-Yama, Fuji-no-Takane, and Huzi, among others. Throughout history, it has been known as one of the most beautiful volcanoes in the world, which has led to it being a symbol of Japan.
In this article we are going to tell you all the characteristics, geology and curiosities of Mount Fuji.
Key features
It is one of the most famous volcanoes in the world and has been a recurring theme in traditional Japanese art. The entire Western world identifies with Mount Fuji. The highest peak reaches 3.375 meters and is classified by geologists as an active volcano. This means it continues to show signs of continuous volcanic activity and has erupted for the past 10.000 years. Although this may seem like an active volcano, geologically speaking, it is.
And it is that an active volcano is analyzed from the period of geological timeThis means that the time of eruptions must be measured on a geological scale, not a human scale. For a volcano, 100 years is no time at all. Near this mountain are Lakes Kawaguchi, Yamanaka, Motosu, Shoji, and Sai, and it is also within Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park, the most visited in the country. If you are even more interested in the characteristics of this area, you can read about the lakes of Mount Fuji.
The morphology of this volcano exhibits in an almost perfect conical shape. The summit we mentioned above has its own climate. This climate is the tundra and registers temperatures that range from -38 degrees to 18 degrees. Throughout the entire cone that is part of the volcano's chimney is the habitat of numerous species of animals and plants. It has a great variety of mammals, reaching 37 species.
Formation of Mount Fuji
It is a stratovolcano or composite volcano made up of several layers of rock, ash, and hardened lava. It took thousands of years to form as we know it today. It is located between three tectonic plates known as the North American, Eurasian, and Philippine plates. Furthermore, it is also specifically on the Okhotk and Amuria minor plates.
This volcano is estimated to be approximately 40.000 years old. We can see that it is currently part of a group of superimposed volcanoes. Before Mount Fuji was formed, other volcanoes were already active, such as Ashitaka, Hakone, and Komitake.
After various explosive eruptions that have taken place in a period of about 80.000 years a volcano of about 3.000 meters high was created known as Ko Fuji. Later, approximately 17.000 years ago, a massive lava flow gradually covered it completely, forming Shin Fuji, or New Fuji. These are all the stages the mountain has gone through as we know it today.
Therefore, we can describe the current volcano as a product of volcanic activity resulting from the stressing of all the layers of material ejected from previous volcanoes. This suggests that the ancient volcanoes we mentioned lie beneath the current volcano.
Mount Fuji eruptions
The last recorded eruption of this volcano was in 1708. However, this makes it classified as an active volcano, as it poses a significant risk of emitting fumaroles and showing signs of seismic activity. According to the Smithsonian Institution's Global Volcanism Program, 58 confirmed eruptions have been recorded and 9 identified of uncertain certainty. This is all the activity that Mount Fuji has had during human records.
During its appearance on this planet, it was a very active volcano, like the vast majority of volcanoes. Almost all volcanoes are active when they are young and gradually cease or decrease their activity over the years. After the formation of New Fuji, there was a period of inactivity until about 5.000 years ago. It was during this time that eruptions were notable for their high intensity and large amounts of lava ejected. For example, one of the recorded eruptions of this volcano took place in the Jogan period in 864. This eruption lasted 10 days during which it was throwing ash and other materials that reached great distances.
If the surrounding population was exponentially smaller back then, just analyzing the potential damage it could cause today makes it a high-risk volcano. The risk of a volcano or its danger is not decided solely by the types of rashes or its morphology, but by the potential damage it can cause. That is, a volcano can emit large amounts of gravel or gases, but if there are no living beings, humans, infrastructure, etc. that could cause damage, its danger will be less. For example, a volcano in the middle of the ocean is less dangerous.
The last eruption of Mount Fuji dates back to 1708 and became known as the Mount Fuji eruption of the present-day Hōei era. This eruption did not generate lava flows outward, but did expel 0.8 kilometers of ash, volcanic bombs, and other solid materials that reached Tokyo. This event was announced thanks to a preceding earthquake that was one of the most intense in Japan's history, ranking second in terms of earthquake intensity after the one that occurred in 2011. Since then, no eruption has been confirmed at this volcano.
Mount Fuji, although considered a high-risk volcano, is a major tourist attraction. I hope this information helps you learn more about Mount Fuji.