A Japanese scientist has warned Mount Fuji is due for a “big-scale explosive eruption” that could affect millions of people and cause billions of dollars worth of damage.
Last month a study found the magma chamber under the mountain has come under immense pressure, which could even trigger a volcanic eruption.
It said the added pressure could have been caused by last year’s earthquake, which was followed a few days later by another large tremor directly underneath Fuji.
Professor Toshitsugu Fujii, the head of Japan’s volcanic eruption prediction panel, says an eruption could cause chaos and carnage all the way to Tokyo.
“Mount Fuji has been resting for 300 years now, and this is abnormal,” he told Saturday AM.
“It usually erupts in some form every 30 years.
“So the next eruption could be a big-scale explosive eruption.”
Ever since last year’s massive 9.0-magnitude earthquake off Japan’s north-east, the country’s meteorological agency has been keeping a closer eye on Mount Fuji.
Of even greater concern to the agency was a magnitude-6.2 quake right under the volcano a few days after the big one.
“It’s known that when a large earthquake happens, it can trigger a nearby volcano to erupt,” Professor Fujii said.
“That’s what happened 300 years ago, when Fuji erupted just 40 days after a big quake.”
“Millions will be affected.”
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