14.4 Living with Volcanoes: Japan case study

Question 1

How many active volcanoes does Japan have?

Answer 1

110 active volcanoes

Question 2

What plate boundaries does Japan lie on?

Answer 2

Eurasian, Philippine, Pacific and North American

Question 3

How many eruptions has there been in japan in the past 2,000 years + how many have been VEI 6?

Answer 3

1200 volcanic eruptions

10 have been VEI 6

Question 4

Describe Mount Ontake:

Answer 4

Stratovolcano situated 200km west of Tokyo on the island of Honshu
3000m at peak

Question 5

When was the Mount Ontake eruption?

Answer 5

27th September 2014

Question 6

How many people were killed during the eruption?

Answer 6

63 people were killed – most were climbers and hikers on the mountain

Question 7

What hazards were produced by the eruption?

Answer 7

Ash fall, pyroclastic flows, volcanic bombs, lahars

Question 8

What precautions were taken?

Answer 8

Japanese PM ordered military assistance with emergency rescue operations
Air space was closed to prevent ash damaging aircraft engines