On January 1, 2024, a small eruption of the Nishinoshima volcano in Japan's Ogasawara Islands sent a column of smoke up to 1,600 meters high and the sea water discolored. It was the fourth volcanic eruption in Japan in a week, raising concerns about large volcanoes such as Mount Fuji.
In the afternoon of the same day, 6Level 2 and 5Twice** of magnitude 5, with an epicenter depth of 10 km. **Caused a tsunami with a maximum wave of up to 5 meters and affected the Izu Islands and the east coast of Japan.
The Japan Meteorological Agency said these eruptions and volcanic eruptions may be related to plate movements, and that Japan is located at the intersection of the Eurasian plate, the Pacific plate, the North American plate and the Philippine Sea plate, making it one of the most unstable zones on Earth.
Japan is a volcanic country, with more than 200 volcanoes throughout the territory, of which more than 80 are active. The most famous of these is Mount Fuji, which is a symbol of Japan and an important part of Japanese culture. The last eruption of Mount Fuji was in 1707, 317 years ago.
In recent years, scientists have found signs of lava surging deep inside Mt. Fuji, signaling a possible re-eruption. If Mt. Fuji erupts, it will have a huge impact on Japan, especially in the Tokyo metropolitan area, not far from Mt. Fuji, which is the political, economic and cultural center of the country, with an extremely high population density, and volcanic ash that will seriously affect transportation, communications, and life.
Therefore, both Japan and the people attach great importance to volcanic disaster prevention, formulate relevant early warning and emergency measures, improve the ability of volcano monitoring and prevention, and strengthen volcanic science and education to reduce the losses caused by volcanic disasters.
Volcanoes are the embodiment of the vitality of the Earth's interior and a beauty of nature. But volcanoes can also bring harm, and human beings should respect nature, understand nature, and live in harmony with nature.