Mount Fuji may erupt soon, scientist speculate

[gyeonghwa]

he pressure in Mount Fuji's magma chamber is now higher than it was in 1707, the last time the nearly 4,000-metre-high Japanese volcano erupted, causing volcanologists to speculate that a disaster is imminent.

The new readings, taken by the National Research Institute for Earth Science and Disaster Prevention, reveal that the pressure is at 1.6 megapascals, nearly 16 times the 0.1 megapascals it takes to trigger an eruption.

This, lead volcanologist on the case Eisuke Fujita told Kyodo News, is "not a small figure".

Researchers have speculated for some time that the volcano, located on Honshu Island 100km southwest of Tokyo, is overdue an eruption. In 2000 and 2001 a series of low-frequency earthquakes were recorded beneath the volcano, leading to widespread predictions of an imminent blow. Since the March 2011 tsunami and the 6.4 magnitude earthquake that followed four days later, Japan has been on tenterhooks, and in May 2012 a professor from Ryukyu University warned that a massive eruption within three years would be likely because of several major factors: steam and gases are being emitted from the crater, water eruptions are occurring nearby, massive holes emitting hot natural gases are appearing in the vicinity and finally, the warning sign that pushed the professor to make the announcement, a 34km-long fault was found underneath the volcano. The fault, experts suggested, could indicate a total collapse of the mountainside if there is another significant shift, and it would probably cause a collapse in the event of an eruption, leading to huge mud and landslides.

http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2012-09/06/mount-fuji

[SpaceProg]

...And to top it all off, it might wake up Godzilla.

[kefkaownsall]

The most recent models have revealed that, in the worst-case scenario, 323,000 people would die and the tremors could trigger an eruption at Mount Fuji.

EEEEP   

[Saturn500]

Well, if japanese flash games have taught me anything, we need to either:

A. Plant a lot of trees along the perimeter, or

B. Get aliens to use a UFO to plug the opening.

Source: http://www.eyezmaze.com/eyezblog_en/blog/2007/09/grow_island_game.html

[TigerHunter]

I didn't even know that Mt. Fuji was a volcano.

[Sylvana]

Oddly I am not overly concerned. The Japanese people are the most disaster prepared in the world, they know they live on a volcanic fault line and hence have a number of precautions for earthquakes, tsunamis and eruptions. I am sure they will monitor the situation and take appropriate action when the volcano finally erupts.

[wyvern999]

Oddly I am not overly concerned. The Japanese people are the most disaster prepared in the world, they know they live on a volcanic fault line and hence have a number of precautions for earthquakes, tsunamis and eruptions. I am sure they will monitor the situation and take appropriate action when the volcano finally erupts.

Just like they did when that tsunami hit that nuclear power station a couple of years ago. There are no precautions that anyone can take against a volcanic eruption other than evacuate the area before it happens

[Lt. Fred]

Do they mean geologically soon or politically soon?

[Juna Starrider]

I hate that despite all our technology, and science, we still can't pin point or predict accurately when a earthquake happens, or a volcano will erupt. 

Hurricane?  Well, our satellite system is tracking it down, and we know approximately where it's heading.  Begin the evacuations

Tornado?  Well, this storm is severe, good chance that a tornado will appear, better get into your cellar.

Forest Fire?  Well, it's a dry season, and the wind is going east, so evacuate people from this area.

Earthquake/Volcano?  Well, the ground's been shaking more often lately, but it did that last March, and nothing happened, so..... let's cross our fingers and hope it's nothing.


I'm slightly terrified that in my lifetime, Yellowstone Park will erupt (The entire park is a giant volcano).  And no one knows when it might happen.   We're only slightly better off that people in Pompeii's time.  We know where, and why these things happen, we just haven't figured out when.

[Yaezakura]

From its history of previous eruptions, I'm pretty sure Yellowstone is overdue. It's gone off at least three times in the past (the park essentially exists inside the three overlapping craters left by its previous eruptions), at fairly regular intervals, and it seems North America is on borrowed time at the moment.

Fuji erupting would be awful and cause a lot of problems. But it wouldn't even be comparable to the scale of Yellowstone blowing.

[Zygarde]

Wouldn't Yellowstone erupting mean that we're collectively fucked?

[kefkaownsall]

Not sure if it will effect the east coast. 

[gyeonghwa]

Wouldn't Yellowstone erupting mean that we're collectively fucked?

Just remember, the last time a super-volcano erupted in Indonesia, it contributed to a famine in Europe. So yeah, we would be collectively fucked but thank goodness we have technology and scientific knowledge though to prepare.

[kefkaownsall]

Also couple years ago a regular eruption paralyzed Europe

[SpaceProg]

Was that when that volcano in Iceland erupted? (I'm not even going to try to type its name.)