What's Happening Underneath Mout Fuji (2)

Here is more from The Japan Times online about the fault line running directly under Mt. Fuji: Saturday, May 12, 2012 New Mount Fuji fault seen as threat to Gotemba AFP-Jiji Parts of Mount Fuji could collapse if a newly discovered fault line underneath it shifts, a government-commissioned report warns. The three-year seismological study turned up an active fault underneath the volcano 100 km west of Tokyo that poses a theoretical threat to a city nearby. "It's possible that (parts of) the mountain could collapse, sending mudslides flowing into Gotemba," which is situated between the mountain and the Pacific, said Yasuhiro Yoshida, director for earthquake investigation at the science ministry. Researchers led by academics from the University of Tokyo fired simulated seismic waves at the mountain that revealed a fault theoretically capable of generating a magnitude 7 quake. The team believes the fault has shifted some time within the past million years, although it is not certain exactly when. Yoshida said the local geography shows that Mount Fuji experienced major mudslides nearly 3,000 years ago, but more studies are required to determine how the fault could affect potential volcanic activity, and vice versa.