Final Blog Post

Mount Fuji is the highest mountain in Japan. Not only is it a mountain but also a volcano. Geologists believe that the volcano is still active to this day but the eruption of it is not expected any time soon. Mount Fuji is an example of a triple junction. Triple junction is when three different plate tectonics collide. The three tectonic plates that met each other came from Eurasia, the Philippines, and North America. They were called Amurian plate (Eurasia), Okhotsk plate (North America), lastly Filipino plate. This volcano is an extrusive volcanic landform which is tall and steep containing a rock type called basalt.

Cross Section of a Stratovolcano

 Distribution of tectonics plates and active volcanoes around Japan

Chances of lahars increases due to Ice caps.

In 10,000 years, Mount Fuji will erupt because the tectonic pressure will increase. Mount Fuji is still an active volcano so as time progress it will erupt more than once. Because of the many eruptions the volcano’s volcanic cone will decompose. Since it is so cold at the top of the volcanoes, ice caps and glaciers will be created at the peak of Mount Fuji which will make the top of the Mount Fuji be surround by volcanic mudflows on the slopes of the volcano. These are called lahars. When lahars flow down the volcano, it will destroy everything that is on the sides of Mount Fuji. With everything being destroyed by lahars, there is a great chance for mass wasting to happen, this will make the landscape expand in weathering. As Mount Fuji weathers away, the vent of the magma is going to harden. Since the magma hardened 

A volcano going through the lahar stage

In 100,000,000 years, the volcano that formed with the help of Mount Fuji will be the next Mount Fuji because of the leftovers of Mount Fuji and the area it is at as I said above. Since it is 100,000,000 years now, the landscape would just be a mountain because “volcanoes become inactive when there is no more molten magma for them to erupt. Volcanoes form when there is a heat source, either in the crust or below in the mantle, that heats up the rocks and melts them, creating magma that can be erupted through a volcano. Obviously, after a while the heat source might die down again, or maybe plate tectonics will push the heat source to a different area. With no more heat, all the magma at the volcano will solidify, and there will be nothing left to erupt. At this point, the volcano can be considered extinct.”

With 10,000, 1,000,000, and 100,000,000 years passing by, Mount Fuji will just be another large mountain standing in Japan after another volcano forms in its landscape.

Diagram of old volcano features and new volcano features building off of the old volcano

References

http://clasfaculty.ucdenver.edu/callen/1202/Battle/Build/VolcanicEx/Extrusive.html

http://www.earthonlinemedia.com/ebooks/tpe_3e/volcanic_landforms/outline.html

http://earthj12.imascientist.org.uk/2012/06/28/how-do-volcanoes-become-extinct/

https://prezi.com/zsfopfrdspcg/mt-fuji/

http://volcano.oregonstate.edu/vwdocs/volc_images/north_asia/japan_tec.html

http://mail.colonial.net/~hkaiter/earth_science_images/MSH82_lahar_from_march_82_eruption_03-21-82_med.jpg

http://www.travelskyline.net/thumbs/mount_fuji-t2.jpg

http://intheplaygroundofgiants.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/Figure-2.2.7.jpg
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jul/15/japan-mount-fuji-eruption-earthquake-pressure
http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2004/1007/images/volcanic.gif
http://intheplaygroundofgiants.com/geology-of-central-oregon/the-geology-of-volcanoes-and-volcanism/

Blog Post 3: Weather/Climate/Seasons

Japan's climate changes between four seasons. As the season changes so does the air mass.

Air mass is an extensive volume of the atmosphere having essentially uniform temperature and humidity conditions. It originates where the atmosphere has a high pressure allowing the air to absorb the temperature and humidity characteristics of the surface. 

Map of a low pressure air mass leading with a high pressure air mass following

During spring, low pressure air masses from China enters Japan giving strong, warm winds in a low pressure zone from the Pacific Ocean. For summer, it is a rainy season. There is a mix of high pressure cold air and warm air. High pressure mass of cold air develops over the north of Japan and the warm air occurs over the pacific to create moist air creating a rainy season front. In early autumn, Japan is stuck by typhoons. Typhoons are the same as hurricanes. Typhoons are large masses of tropical low pressure air in the North Pacific. The formation of a typhoon has a strong Coriolis effect, high sea surface temperature, wind speed change, and low level water vapor. In winter, the winds pick up moisture and drop the moisture west of Japan to make rain and snow. Mount. Fuji's highest temperature does not exceed 15 degrees Celsius. 

Monthly average temperature at Mt. Fuji

Mt. Fuji has an orographic precipitation. Air is cooled as it is forced aloft in order to rise over a barrier such as Mt. Fuji. Most of the precipitation occurs on the windward side of the mountain with a dry region existing on the other side of the mountain called leeward. The air flows over the mountain, creating warm, dry downslope winds called Lee winds. 

Air flow from high pressure to low pressure creates a topographic barrier.
Air runs over Mt. Fuji then flows down to create updrafts, downdrafts, and rotors

Clouds form when air and water meets the mountain. This makes air drift up the incline for vapor to be concentrated. Some clouds are a sign of weather change. A particular cloud called Lenticular is usually found above Mt. Fuji.

Summer clouds

Winter clouds

Air parcels must be at the lifting condensation
level or dew point for clouds to form

Lenticular clouds over Mount. Fuji

References 

http://clasfaculty.ucdenver.edu/callen/1202/Climate/Weather/Weather.html

http://clasfaculty.ucdenver.edu/callen/1202/Climate/Cyclones/FrontsCyclones.html

http://clasfaculty.ucdenver.edu/callen/1202/Climate/EarthTempClim/EarthTempClim.html

http://clasfaculty.ucdenver.edu/callen/1202/Climate/Moisture/WaterMoistureClouds.html

http://web-japan.org/factsheet/en/pdf/e01_geography.pdf

http://www.fujisan-net.gr.jp/english/4_03.htm

http://www.reddit.com/r/pics/comments/1p6n99/lenticular_clouds_from_mount_fuji/

http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/aviation/safety/4327148

http://www.atmos.washington.edu/academics/classes/2011Q1/101/stability_n_clouds.pdf

http://www.vagaries.in/2012_03_01_archive.html

Blog Post 2: Extrusive Volcanic Landform

Mount. Fuji is created by extrusive volcanic landform. The volcano is a perfect example to study the type of volcanic landform called composite/strato volcano. Stratovolcanoes can be as high as eight thousand feet or more, such as Mt. Fuji being 12,388 feet high. Stratovolcanoes erupt with a great force intend to hurt or kill its surrounding.

View of Mount Fuji from the city's perspective

Stratovolcanoes are also known composite volcanoes because the volcano is created by composite layers of eruptive materials. A composite or stratovolcano is shaped conically by layers (strata) called tephra, volcanic ash, hardened lava, and pumice. Stratovolcanoes are distinguished by explosive and effusive eruptions.

Layers of stratovolcanoes

When the volcano erupts, the flowing lava cools and hardens before spreading to high viscosity. The lava formation of stratovolcanoes is produce by magma containing felsic which has high to intermediate levels of silica such as rhyolite, dacite, or andesite and less amounts of mafic magma. The lava is so thick that it cannot travel far down the slope of the volcano before the lava has a chance to cool down. This gives the volcano steep sides. Small rock and ash gush out from the eruption that rest on the sides of the volcano.

Eruption of Mt. Fuji 1707

In the magma chamber, pressure is construct as gas under enormous heat and pressure then disintegrates in liquid rock. When magma touches the spillway, the gases in the chamber explode because pressure is release. Stratovolcanoes can explode from the sides of the cone as well, since it is formed underground.

Eruption of Mt. Fuji 1707

Studying exctrusive volcanic landforms is important because it will determine what causes the eruption of composite/stratovolcanoes and the behavior of the volcano. Although we cannot prevent the environmental cause of the eruption, volcanologists can predict when a volcano is going to explode and they can alert people who are in the surrounding of the mountain. As of today, Mt. Fuji can still erupt at any time.

References

http://clasfaculty.ucdenver.edu/callen/1202/Battle/Build/VolcanicEx/Extrusive.html

http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/earth/surface_and_interior/composite_volcano

http://education-portal.com/academy/lesson/types-of-volcanoes-shield-cinder-cones-composite-cones.html#lesson

http://www.livescience.com/27295-volcanoes.html

http://www.lovethesepics.com/2012/09/before-magnificent-mount-fuji-volcano-erupts-46-pics/#more-5408

http://mountfujilachyverrall.weebly.com/

http://gsi.ir/General/Lang_en/Page_24/TypeId_6/GroupId_00/NewsId_5880/Action_NewsBodyView/Fuji,.Honshu,.Japan.html

Blog Post 1: Formation of Mt.Fuji

As introduced in the introduction, Mount Fuji is the highest mountain in Japan. Not only is it a mountain but also a volcano. Geologists believe that the volcano is still active to this day but the eruption of it is not expected any time soon. Mount Fuji is an example of a triple junction. Triple junction is when three different plate tectonics collide. The three tectonic plates that met each other came from Eurasia, the Philippines, and North America. They were called Amurian plate (Eurasia), Okhotsk plate (North America), lastly Filipino plate.

                                                              (Distribution of tectonics plates and active volcanoes around Japan)

                                                                   (http://www.pref.shizuoka.jp/a_foreign/english/fuji/whatfuji.html)

After the discovery of Mount Fuji’s formation, geologists uncovered the mountain to be a volcano. When Mount Fuji’s magma escape from the Earth’s molten interior it cooled and harden into solid rock which produced the mountain to be coned-shaped also called a stratovolcano. Geologists later figured out that Mount Fuji is a form of basalt-based composite volcano which is a volcano that has accumulated its present form through several successive massive eruptions.

(http://freetickettojapan.com/must-see-places-in-japan-for-first-time-visitors/)

Mount Fuji wasn't just created as one big volcano itself, instead the mountain was made by three generation of volcanic activities. The three volcanoes were called, Ashitakayama/Ko-Mitake (Small Mitake), Ko-Fuji (Old Fuji) and Shin-Fuji (New Fuji) volcanoes. Ko-Mitake was the very first phase of the volcano. This phase was when Mount Fuji was named Ko-Mitake and when the volcano was releasing andesite before basalt. Rocks from the Ko-Mitake volcano are still visible on the northern side of Mount Fuji. The second phase known as Old Fuji erupted about 80,000 years after Ko-Mitake’s eruption. The remaining structure of Old Fuji is located south of Ko-Mitake’s leftovers. Right now Mount Fuji is still in the process of the last volcanic activity that exploded 11,000 years later. Without these three volcanic activities, Mount Fuji would not be the highest mountain in Japan as of today. 

                      (http://www.fujisan-net.gr.jp/english/4_04.htm)                    

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References: 

http://www.sciences360.com/index.php/the-importance-of-mt-fuji-to-geology-196/

http://legacy.earlham.edu/~steelem/mtfuji.htm

http://freetickettojapan.com/must-see-places-in-japan-for-first-time-visitors/

http://www.pref.shizuoka.jp/a_foreign/english/fuji/whatfuji.html

http://www.fujisan-net.gr.jp/english/4_04.htm

Introduction

Hi everyyyyboddyy, the name is Nalee, it's like Molly but with the letter N. I have been a student at the University of Colorado Denver for a couple of years now. I lived in Colorado my whole entire life of living. This blog that is being introduced is going to be about a mountain called Mount. Fuji located in Japan.

I chose to do the assignment on Mount Fuji because I want to climb up this mountain one day. By doing my research and studying this environment, I believe it will further my knowledge and understanding of the landscape. It is a fact that this mountain is a famous one. Mount Fuji is also known as the tallest mountain standing in Japan. Tourists from all over the country visit Japan just to have a real look of the mountain itself than viewing pictures of it on Google Images.