Possibly active fault under Japan's Mount Fuji to trigger big quake, landslide?

Itsuo Inouye / AP

Mount Fuji, Japan's highest peak at 12,385 feet, may be sitting on a large, active fault that could trigger quakes and landslides that would change the mountain's shape and devastate nearby communities.

By msnbc.com staff and news services

TOKYO -- Japan's Mount Fuji may be sitting on a large, active fault that could trigger a magnitude-7 earthquake, changing the shape of the mountain and devastating nearby communities, the education ministry said on Thursday.

A survey commissioned by the ministry found an 18-mile fault beneath Japan's highest mountain, believed by many to be sacred, and research results indicate it was likely to be active, a ministry official said.

"We're not certain if it's an active fault," a ministry official said according to the Wall Street Journal. "But there is a possibility ... A structural investigation near [the volcano] found a fault. Because there's a fault there, there's a chance that it's moving."

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If the fault sets off an earthquake, it could lead to a major landslide and hit communities at the foot of the 12,400-foot-high mountain. Further research was required, the official said.

Little is known about the seismic structure under Mount Fuji because faults were buried by mudflows triggered by a huge landslide that occurred about 2,600 to 2,900 years ago, as well as by layers of volcanic ash, the Japan Times reported.

However, scientists say there is evidence the mountain has collapsed in the past.

"In this region, there is a stratum right above the fault that indicates that Mount Fuji has collapsed before," a ministry official told the Wall Street Journal.

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A magnitude-9 earthquake and massive tsunami hit northern Japan last year, leaving nearly 19,000 people dead or missing and causing the world's worst nuclear disaster in 25 years.

An earthquake in 1707 caused Fuji to erupt and killed an estimated 20,000 people.

Reuters and msnbc.com staff contributed to this report.

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mathuin

Maybe the Japanese should think about moving to another island. Just because they have been there for thousands of years doesn't necessarily mean their islands will always be inhabitable. Why did the Polynesians branch out to populate islands in the Pacific? Maybe it was to escape volcanoes on their home islands.

2 votes

#1 - Fri May 11, 2012 11:19 AM EDT

Sue-3329001

I am sure that there is a liberal element in Japanese society that feels that mankind is responsible for the ring of fire and therefore can stop the process of volcanic eruption, activity, and earthquake....just like here....We can tame the forces of nature that actually created the continents. That kind of arrogance doesn't lead to alot of planning, and as a result, when the inevitable happens, lots of lives are lost, lots are injured and maimed.

#1.1 - Fri May 11, 2012 3:53 PM EDT

Bluelake

Humans have a hard time grasping the geological time frame. Though we live in the middle of it we don't always feel a part of it. Earthquakes and eruptions are, always have been and always will be just part of life on earth. We ignore their presence at our own peril.

By the way, I understand that our Congress wants to cut funding for a Pacific Tsunami Warning System. What could possibly be wrong with that?