Mount Fuji

Hi! I am Melanie Holl, and this is my first year at Gettysburg College. I plan on majoring in computer sciences along with double majoring or minoring in studio art. I enjoying drawing and playing video games, which I why I wish to pursue studio art and programming. My hometown is Coatesville, Pennsylvania. I took Japanese culture because Japan was something that always fascinated me and I wanted to learn more about it. I look forward to getting to discuss these topics with you.

The articles I want to discuss talks about the recent news on Mount Fuji and its chance of erupting in the near future.

http://www.volcanodiscovery.com/fuji/news/15563/Mt-Fuji-Volcano-Japan-increase-of-pressure-in-the-magma-chamber-as-a-sign-of-an-impending-eruption.html

To summarize, the article talks about the possibility of Mount Fuji erupting in the near future. It states how the magma chamber of Mount Fuji has increased dramatically recently, mostly due to tsunami plus a 6.4 earth quake within 4 days of each other in 2011. Mount Fuji only needs 0.1 megapascals of pressure to erupt, and it was calculated that the pressure has increased to 1.6 megapascals. But, as it goes into greater detail in the article, the form of obtaining the calculations could be “subject to very large errors.”  The calculations do not mean Mount Fuji will erupt, plus “other parameters such as seismicity and deformation currently don’t show signs of an impending eruption.” There was a similar scare in 2001 when a professor from Ryukyu University observed various signs pointing to an imminent eruption and predicted one within 3 years. But the main issue that people are worried about is that the last eruption in 1707 could have been triggered by an earthquake, or at least influenced by one. The estimated cost of damages Mount Fuji would cause if it erupted would be around 2 billion US dollars.

This article was actually not what I had intended on posting about, but it caught my interest more than I had believed it would. I cannot even imagine the idea of just a threat close by, and reading the article made me realize even more how dangerous Japan can be with it being located on a fault line. Volcanos and earthquakes are much more common place there than around here. Being at such stakes to nature seems very frightening, but it also shows why Japanese culture is so intertwined with nature for their society depends on natures balance. Earthquakes are a regular thing that they have learned to live with. But still, a strong earthquake could come by some day and cause destruction. There is that kind of uncertainty when it comes to nature, which I believe is incorporated into Japanese beliefs in a way.  Living near a time bomb of a volcano, just waiting for the next eruption would be hard. Here in Pennsylvania, the only earthquake we encounter barley shook a table, let alone could cause any injuries. We are not as nearly dependent on nature cooperating since it is not as much of a danger, but I believe it also leads us to be less in touch with nature. Instead we only get annoyed with the little inconveniences nature causes, like a rainy day or a bad storm. Though with modern days Japanese culture is getting out of touch with nature, I believe they will always be more in touch than American culture would ever be able to. If Mount Fuji were to erupt in the near future, Japan may take a while to recover. Also with such a high estimate of damage costs, hopefully if Mount Fuji is going to erupt soon Japan will be well prepared.

Can you imagine living somewhere so dangerous? And how would it affect your view of the world?