Japan’s Mount Fuji on brink of eruption

The Great East Japan Earthquake and one of its aftershocks last year have put so much pressure on Mount Fuji’s magma chamber, that it could very well erupt, researchers have warned.

The Great East Japan Earthquake and one of its aftershocks last year have put so much pressure on Mount Fuji’s magma chamber, that it could very well erupt, researchers have warned.

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The National Research Institute for Earth Science and Disaster Prevention said that, however, the jump in pressure is not the only factor that could cause the volcano to blow, and no signs of a pending eruption have been detected.

Based on the tectonic movements caused by the magnitude 9.0 quake that struck off the coast of the Tohoku region in March 2011 and the magnitude 6.4 quake that followed four days later, the researchers estimate that about 1.6 megapascals of pressure were placed on the magma chamber, which is equivalent to an atmospheric pressure of some 15.8 kg per sq cm., The Japan Times reported.

Mount Fuji most recently erupted in 1707 but under the same circumstances.