Japan: Mount Fuji report doubles previous estimate of lava flow
A new hazard map suggests that as many as 1.3 billion cubic meters of lava could flow from the crater. Some experts say, however, that the heightened warnings are causing unnecessary fear.
Mount Fuji in Japan
A new hazard map drawn up to prepare local residents for a possible eruption of Japan s Mount Fuji warns that earlier predictions may have underestimated the true scale of the danger.
The updated threat assessment was compiled by experts from the three prefectures considered to be most at risk from a major eruption of Japan s tallest and most iconic mountain. Basing their decisions on new research, officials in Shizuoka, Yamanashi and Kanagawa prefectures now believe that the earlier hazard map, which was published in June 2004, failed to take several factors into account.