Volcanoes in Japan (Week 5)
Japan lies in an area that has a lot of seismic activity due to Japan being on 4 of the major tectonic plates which are the Okhotsk Plate ( North American ), the Eurasia (Amurian), the Pacific, and the Philippine Sea Plate. What also contributes to the amount of volcanic activity is Japan being within the Ring of Fire. Making Japan the home to around 10% of the world's active volcanoes, Mount Fuji being the tallest and most famous volcano is Japan. Japan has 111 volcanoes that are active and a total of 15 volcanic events occur every year. With the amount of seismic activity Japan has, they have came up with ways to mitigate when these disasters occur with constant surveillance and observation. In Japan there is an agency called the Japan Meteorological Agency which monitors seismic and volcanic activity throughout the country and issues relevant warnings and information to mitigate damage caused by disasters related to earthquakes, tsunamis and volcanic eruptions. In order for the JMA to continuously monitor volcanic activity, they utilize seismographs and other related observation instruments in the surrounding area of 50 volcanoes that are active. JMA has Mobile observation teams that are sent to other volcanoes for regular patrols. When odd volcanic activity is detected, the Agency steps up its monitoring/observation activities and publishes volcanic information and regular bulletins. Japan has began issuing Volcanic Warnings and Volcanic Forecasts for each active volcano. Volcanic warnings are issued when there is any relation to expected volcanic disasters and are specify to the areas that have to take action. Down below are the 5 volcanic alert levels based on the targeted areas and what actions need to taken.
Resources:
https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2327.html
Hi Jess! I enjoyed reading and learning about the volcanic activity in Japan. I didn't know that there were so many there! 111 active volcanos is a lot and 15 events a year is way more than a lot of places, wow!
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ReplyDeleteVery interesting post, I knew Japan was prone to a lot of seismic activity but I had no idea there were that many active volcanoes! Even though it may be scary to think about, seeing Mount Fuji in person this past winter really goes to show how a volcano that massive could erupt!
South Korea Is pretty close to Japan, but when it comes to volcanic activity they are basically the opposite. It is great that Japan is so well prepared for these types of events and can react to them quickly especially since they are such a high risk area.
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