Mt. Fuji: The beauty of a symmetric stratovolcano

Abstract

Mt. Fuji, the highest mountain in Japan, is internationally known for its attractive landscape, which resulted from the repeated basaltic eruptions near the junction of the four major tectonic plates since the Middle Pleistocene. Although Mt. Fuji has a relatively simple symmetrical shape, it consists of various geomorphological and geological components such as old buried volcanic bodies, deposits of huge sector collapses, craters on volcanic flanks, and some distinct valleys. Geomorphological and geological knowledge is important for providing strategies to cope with future possible volcanic hazards in and around Mt. Fuji. © 2010 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.