Volcanoes can be found throughout the world. Often located along tectonic plate boundaries, shield, composite, and cinder cone volcanoes can be beautiful and deadly. The Pacific Ring of Fire is home to volcanic arcs and volcanic island arcs; the volcanoes of Japan are included in this. Japan, like many areas in this ring, is prone to having numerous volcanoes of varying shape, size, and make. According to Japan: A Country Study, “A tenth of the world’s active volcanoes are found in Japan, which lies in a zone of extreme crustal instability” (Bunge, p. 66). All of these volcanoes affect Japan and its landscape in some way or another. The Smithsonian Institution suggests that the Japanese volcanoes can be subdivided into four regions, Hokkaido, Honshu, Izu, and Ryukyu/Kyushu and that each of these has numerous volcanoes (“Japan, Taiwan, Marianas”).
The Hokkaido region lies in the northern part of Japan and is one of its largest islands. Hokkaido has many types of volcanoes present. A few noteworthy volcanoes and calderas of this region are as follows. The Akan Caldera is located in the Akan Volcanic Complex. This caldera has been historically active, and will periodically erupt. However, it has not had a Volcanic Explosive Index level above a one since about 50 B.C.E. The most recent eruption in the Akan caldera came from a cone called Me-Akan on November 18, 2008 (“Japan, Taiwan, Marianas”). The Encyclopedia of Earthquakes and Volcanoes suggests that because earthquakes often precede volcanic eruptions in this area, the Akan Caldera and its cones have been very important in the study of how volcanic and tectonic earthquakes relate to magmatic systems (Gates and Ritchie, p. 4).
Yet another volcano in Hokkaido is the Tokachi-dake...
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...hlorine fumes. The soil temperature began to rise around Sakurajima in 1914. This rise killed the local flora and fauna; eventually the soil became so hot that it could not be held. The benzene and chlorine gases also became a problem when livestock and people became sick around the vents that passed through Sakurajima (Gates and Ritchie, p. 4).
Japan offers a wide variety of volcanoes. “The islands of the Japanese archipelago occupy one of the most concentrated areas of seismic and volcanic activity in the world” (Gates and Ritchie, p. 127). Though the volcanoes of Japan can be very deadly, many are tourist attractions. Mount Fuji, for example, and the numerous hot springs that occur due to volcanic activity are often visited. However, the calderas and volcanoes of this region still cause problems to the people and places of Japan (Gates and Ritchie, p. 127-128).
Mauna Loa is located on a hot spot in the Pacific Ocean. It is not near a plate boundary, in fact it is 3,200 km from the nearest plate boundary, and is situated in the middle of the Pacific tectonic plate. This is actually a rarity, as 90% of volcanoes are along a tectonic plate boundary. A hot spot occurs where long, stationary vertical pools of magma rise up and towards the plate. Movement of the tectonic plates above the hot spot created Mauna Loa, along with the other Hawaiian volcanoes. The older Hawaiian Islands were once above this stationary hot spot, but have been carried northwest by the slowly moving Pacific plate. As the plate moves, it carries the previously formed, older, volcanoes with it, creating a trail of younger, new volcanoes behind. The islands are lined up along the Hawaiian Ridge-Emperor Seamounts chain, which is 3,750 miles and includes Kauai, Maui, Oahu and Hawai’i, from north to south, respectively. There are around 80 volcanoes in this chain; most of them underwater, consequently the term seamount refer to submarine volcanoes. Three volcanoes of Hawai’i, Mauna Loa, Kilauea and Loihi seamount, are all currently sharing the Hawaiian hot spot. Although, recent evidence has shown that all three volcanoes use have separate plumbing systems to expel the lava from the pool of magma deep below them. It has also been suggested that Loihi is slowly moving Mauna Loa from the center of the island, thus shifting directly over the hot spot. The closer to the hot spot a volcano is, the more active it will be. The Hawaiian hot spot has laid down layers of lava, building up enormous islands from the ocean floor.
Over the centuries, the making of the Big Island as we know it today eventually entailed the growth and conjoining of six separate volcanoes, building all the way up from the seafloor, some 18,000 feet below the ocean’s surface. These volcanoes, from northwest to southeast, are named Mahukona, Kohala, Mauna Kea, Hualalai, Mauna Loa and Kilauea, and become younger as one moves north to south. Mahukona Volcano, just off the Big Island’s northwest coast, was the first volcano to start forming. Now submerged beneath the surface of the ocean because it is sinking into the Earth’s crust under its own vast weight, Mahukona is no longer visible. As the Pacific Plate slowly continued moving northwestward over the hotspot, the location of the rising magma moved relatively southeastward, and through time the rest of the Big Island volcanoes formed along that path.After Mahukona, Kohala Volcano, the precursor to today’s Kohala Mountain, erupted next. As Kohala Volcano emerged from the sea and joined with Mahukona, a much larger Big
...e than 30 volcanoes that have erupted over the past 300,000 years in the Lassen Peak volcanic area.
About three-quarters of Japan is mountainous. They were formed by tectonic plates colliding. Volcanoes were formed by the land breaking, and the liquid rock built up in it. A lot of the volcanoes are active, yet no one knows when one will erupt. The
...815 eruption of Mount Tambora. With over 70,000 deaths and a rating of 7 on the volcanic exclusivity index, this eruption is one of the largest in recorded history. Not only did this volcano cause destruction in Indonesia but the consequences were further felt around the world, as volcanic ash and sulphuric gases were dumped into the stratosphere causing a global climate shift. Dark clouds covered the sun, and dramatic weather changes ensued. Flash floods frequently occurred wiping out a great deal of crop eventually causing prices to skyrocket. Disease began to spread due to malnourishment and unsanitary living conditions. Eventually these consequences subsided and citizens began to migrate towards Mount Tambora once again. Today the government has placed seismic sensors are set up in the most volatile areas to ensure preparedness in the event of another volcano.
Volcanoes have always been a mysterious wonder of the world. Volcanoes have shaped the landscape and the very ground that we all live on. People have written stories of their disastrous eruptions, and painted their marvelous shapes on canvas. The essay will outline some of the more famous volcanoes and how they have impacted are history. Mount Vesuvius that destroy the great city of Pompeii, Krakatoa they spewed deadly ash on small village town, and Mount St. Helen, the only volcano in my own country to every erupt during my own time period.
These differences are in the makeup of the volcano, the impact on society, and the eruption itself. Mount Saint Helens, used to be a wonder of the world, but now a damage site of what happened on May 18, 1980. Mauna Loa is a tourist destination and one of the most active dispensers of lava and magma in the world. As shown, these volcanoes can’t be more different. Yet, each volcano has been a culprit to destruction, and have similarities within themselves. This report has expressed many similarities and differences and brought facts and knowledge to the historical eruptions by these impressive and ancient structures of
Stories about volcanoes are captivating. Myths come in different versions, but all of them are capable of capturing yours, and everybody’s imagination.
The Great Kanto Earthquake also known as the Tokyo-Yokohama Earthquake of 1923 hit the metropolitan area of Kanto on September 1st, 1923 around 11:58 pm. It was a 7.9 on the Richter magnitude scale, killing over one-hundred and forty thousand people due to its high magnitude and the time it happened. The earthquake struck around lunch time, when many Japanese people were at home cooking at their charcoal or gas fueled stoves. At the moment the earthquake hit, it knocked down buildings that caught flames from the stoves that fell over, enflaming the city. The fire was swept up and able to spread due to the gusts of wind that occurred for two days afterwards, resulting in firestorms. Charles Blauvelt experienced the ordeal of the fire describing the flames as “[covering] the whole city [as they] burned all day and night.” In addition to the firestorms and the earthquake itself, there was a shock because of all the fallen debris which triggered tsunamis to fill and flood Japanese cities. These tsunamis, that were about thirty feet tall, destroyed central Tokyo and immensely added to the death toll.
Volcanoes are one of natures most interesting and dangerous phenomenons. The way volcanoes operate can be understood, on a basic level, by just some simple physics and chemistry, this paper will investigate and explain some of the basic physics that govern the behavior of volcanoes.
The country of Japan is an island nation, which is separated from Mainland Asia by the Sea of Japan. (“Facts about Japan”) On the west side it is surrounded by the Northern Pacific Ocean. It has no land boundaries. Japan has four main islands: Honshu, Hokkaido, Kyushu, and Shikoku. Seventy percent of Japan consists of mountains and volcanoes. (“Facts about Japan”) The climate in Japan is very tropical in the southern parts and much cooler in the northern parts. (“Facts about Japan”) Based on location, Japan is prone to typhoons and heavy snowfall in the north which can cause landslides and avalanches. (“Facts about Japan”) Japan is part of the Ring of Fire of the Pacific. (“Facts about Japan”) The ring of fire is where the earthquakes and volcanoes generally occur in the basin of the Pacific Ocean. (“Facts about Japan”) About 90 percent of the world’s earthquakes occur along the Ring of Fire. (“Facts about Japan”) Over a thousand earthquakes occur each year in Japan. (“Facts about Japan”) In March of 2011, Japan suffered one of the largest most powerful earthquakes to hit Honshu, Japan. (“Facts about Japan”) The earth...
Volcanoes can be one of the most destructive forces on Earth. It is estimated that some
Perhaps more than any other nation in the world, Japan is shaped by its geography to a tremendous extent. Technically classified as an archipelago, Japan is a curved chain of four islands (Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu, plus over a thousand smaller islands). However, it is first and foremost an island nation, a fact which isolated Japan from the rest of the world. The second largest influence in Japanese geography is the size of the nation. The total area of Japan proper is a little under 143 thousand square miles; the contiguous United States spreads across just over 3 million. To say that
There was a multitude of causes of the disaster in Japan. The first cause was a 9.0 magnitude earthquake that occurred off the coast of Japan. Japan is located in “The Ring of Fire,” an area in the Pacific Ocean that has multiple faults and earthquakes (Pedersen 13). Tectonic plates shifted off the North Pacific coast of Japan and created a massive earthquake. The next cause was a thirty-three foot wall of water that swept over cities and farmland in Japan (Branigan 2). Martin Fackler, a journalist, stated, “The quake churned up a devastating tsunami” (Fackler 3). The tsunami reached speeds of 497 miles per hour while approaching Japan (Fackler 3). The third and final reason of the disaster was that the cooling systems at multiple nuclear power plants failed. At Fukushima, a nuclear power plant in Sendai, Japan, the radioactive rods began to overheat due to the absence of water, which cools it. Explosions occurred at three of the reactors, which spewed radiation into the air (“Comparing nuclear power plant crises”). In conclusion, the earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear power plant issues were the causes of the disaster in Japan, but they also had a myriad of effects.
The earliest outcropping volcanic deposits date back to about 25,000 years ago. The lavas observed at a -1125 m bore-hole are about 0,3-0,5 million years old. It is known for the first eruption of which an eyewitness account is preserved, in 79 AD. Geologically, Vesuvio is unique for its unusual versatility. Its activity ranging from Hawaiian-style release of liquid lava, fountaining and lava lakes, over Strombolian and Vulcanian activity to violently explosive, plinian events that produce pyroclastic flows and surges.