Why are there volcanoes in Japan ? Pourquoi y a-t-il des volcans au Japon ?

 Volcanoes in Japan: causes:

Introduction:

• over 100 active volcanoes (more than almost any other country )
• accounts for about 10 % of all active volcanoes in the world
• volcanoes belong to the Pacific Ring of Fire, an arc around the Pacific Ocean where there are more than 400 volcanoes

Why are there so many volcanoes in Japan ?

• at junction of 4 tectonic plates - the Pacific, Philippine, Eurasian and North American plates

Principal volcanoes:

• Mount Fuji: legend says that it has been created in one day, but it is geographically believed that it has been formed over the top of an older volcano about 10 000 years ago

• Mount Aso: made of five separate volcanic peaks; Japan’s southern island of Kyushu near the city of Kumamoto; Mount Nakadake, one of the five volcanic peaks, is still active and is the area’s main attraction

• Mount Unzen: Situated near the city of Shimabara on the island of Kyushu; group of volcanoes;  eruptions from these volcanoes date back six million years, but until recently, they were thought to have become dormant; a national park was established in 1934 and a small village sprang up to accommodate visitors.

• Mount Ontake: situated in the center of an island called Kyushu Island; about 100 km at the north-east of Nagoya; important holy mountain in japanese culture

Record in historically documented eruptions:

Japan's first documented historical eruption was from Aso volcano in 553 AD , the year after Buddhism was introduced from Korea.

Japan's largest historical eruption was from Towada volcano in 915 AD

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