Concern over Mount Fuji, japanese clarify?

[dannavy85]

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2006/07/060717-mount-fuji.html

Apparently from this article and from other equally reputable sources, some increased monitoring has been going on since last summer concerning Mount Fuji, especially findings that her magma chamber is now fully loaded and could be showing restlessness.

Obviously fuji-san is no minute pop gun volcano given the last eruption in 1709 but from our Japanese friends has there been any news about what's been happening lately?

Also another report stated that a line of five steam holes had opened up on Fuji's flanks during the summer/fall of 2012, is that true?

[dannavy85]

http://www.japantoday.com/category/national/view/mt-fuji-may-erupt-by-2015-says-ryuku-university-professor

“It looks like the danger of eruption is in the northeast corner of Mt Fuji, but there is also a possibility of an eruption from the summit crater at the same time. Volcanic earthquakes are increasing, and their epicenters are becoming increasingly shallow.”

It should be noted that Prof Kimura is co-author of “Fujisan No Funka Wa Hajimatteiru!” (The Eruption of Mt Fuji Has Begun!), a book released in June last year, as well as author of 2011’s “Fujisan Dai Funka! Bukimina Itsutsu No Choko” (Mt Fuji’s Big Eruption! Five Eerie Signs).

It was also noted last week that the investigation into the Sasago highway tunnel collapse in December 2012 includes possible deformation of the tunnel due to "magmatic and seismic activity". The tunnel is not far from the flanks of Fuji.



The last time Fuji erupted of course was the 1707 Hoei crator blast that sent ash across Tokyo and Yokohama bay. Prof Kimura has also pointed out that a worse scenario would be a complete collapse of the mountain cone given that Fuji is mostly built up ash, not rock.

Hopefully things won't happen but it's a note that Fuji has erupted on average every 30 years and after a major earthquake and right now it's way beyond due.