Fuji (Japan)

Status Unknown Eruption 1708 3776m
Stratovolcano (Subduction zone / Continental crust (> 25 km))

The conical form of Fujisan, Japan's highest and most noted volcano, belies its complex origin. The modern postglacial stratovolcano is constructed above a group of overlapping volcanoes, remnants of which form irregularities on Fuji's profile. Growth of the Younger Fuji volcano began with a period of voluminous lava flows from 11,000 to 8000 years before present (BP), accounting for four-fifths of the volume of the Younger Fuji volcano. Minor explosive eruptions dominated activity from 8000 to 4500 BP, with another period of major lava flows occurring from 4500 to 3000 BP. Subsequently, intermittent major explosive eruptions occurred, with subordinate lava flows and small pyroclastic flows. Summit eruptions dominated from 3000 to 2000 BP, after which flank vents were active. The extensive basaltic lava flows from the summit and some of the more than 100 flank cones and vents blocked drainages against the Tertiary Misaka Mountains on the north side of the volcano, forming the Fuji Five Lakes, popular resort destinations. The last confirmed eruption of this dominantly basaltic volcano in 1707 was Fuji's largest during historical time. It deposited ash on Edo (Tokyo) and formed a large new crater on the east flank.

Winter snows cover the slopes of Mount Fuji, Japan's highest and most renowned volcano. A 700-m-wide crater caps the 3776-m-high stratovolcano. The modern symmetrical cone is constructed over a group of overlapping volcanoes, a remnant of which, Hoei-san, forms the knob halfway down the SE (left) flank. The diagonal line at the lower right is a toll road that extends to timberline on the north flank. Historical eruptions have been recorded since the 8th century, the latest in 1707.

Photo by Tom Pierson, 1995 (U.S. Geological Survey).

Last updated 2019-08-04 00:28:02