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Works Referenced
http://www.fujisan-net.gr.jp/english/4_04.htm
Thursday, December 6, 2012
Sunday, November 11, 2012
The Dangers of Downdraft
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| http://pcdn.500px.net/11722427/16e3a629a4c605d01a652576 bb3c161b3bcd5b16/4.jpg This is a picture of a two layer lenticular cloud over Mount Fuji. This type of cloud can be a very good sign for gliders. The world's greatest gliding records have been built on updrafts from conditions which are perfect for forming lenticular clouds. For powered aircraft, however, they signal powerful turbulence and the threat of a crash. |
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http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8UpvLkP19FQ/T2jL1BIOAtI/
AAAAAAAAIW8/ebG5fwS8GCo/s1600/
isobars+causing+winds.jpg
This map shows Asia. On a global scale, areas of
high
pressure follow areas of low pressure in a never
ending cycle. Where a high pressure air mass comes
in contact
with a low pressure air mass, steep isobars
are
observed. This indicates the creation of wind
as air rushes to the
low pressure.
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At 1:58 P.M. local time on March 5, 1966, BOAC flight 911
left Haneda Airport for Hong Kong. It was a clear day and Captain Bernard
Dobson received permission to amend the flight plan so he could fly over Mount
Fuji. The plane began climbing southwest towards Mount Fuji, reaching an
altitude of 17,000 feet. When the aircraft encountered an updraft, the
pilot reduced airspeed, allowing the air to carry them. Shortly thereafter, the
plane hit a violent downdraft. With their reduced speed, and an already low
altitude, the plane was unable to power out of the turbulence. The vertical fin
failed and the plane entered a flat spin, resulting in a crash that killed 124
people.
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| http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/aviation/safety/4327148 As air flowing from areas of high pressure to low pressure encounters topographic barriers, it chooses to either go around or over the barrier. Air is typically forced over Mount Fuji. Air cascades down the leeward side of the volcano, creating updrafts, downdrafts and rotors. |
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| http://apollo.lsc.vsc.edu/classes/met130/notes/chapter6/graphics/ wave_clouds_schem.jpg Lenticular clouds are formed as a constant supply of cool, moist air flows over the mountain. For clouds to form, the air parcel must reach the lifting condensation level, or dew point. |
What
Captain Dobson did not know was that a steep pressure gradient had settled over
Mount Fuji and its surrounding area due to atmospheric subsidence following a
cold front the day before. This created stable north to northwest winds over
Mount Fuji’s summit. As powerful winds flow perpendicular to orographic
topography they produce lee waves, which aviators commonly refer to as mountain
turbulence. These waves created strong updrafts and downdrafts as the air descended the leeward side of Mount Fuji
Lenticular clouds are usually the harbingers of strong
mountain turbulence and are commonly seen around Mount Fuji. However,
conditions that day were too cold and dry for air parcels to reach the dew
point and form clouds. Unaware of the hazardous conditions, Captain Dobson flew
directly into the turbulence. The wind propelled the airplane out of the sky
under an estimated 7.5 g-units of force. Later, meteorological reports concluded
that winds at the summit of Mount Fuji were upwards of 70 knots. This accident,
and many like it around the world, led to in depth meteorological research on
turbulence specific to mountainous regions.
Wednesday, October 10, 2012
The Secret Life of Water
Mount Fuji is divided by both time and composition. The
ancient mountain, Kofuji, is composed primarily of impermeable mudflows. The
modern volcano, Shinfuji, resulted from layers of basaltic lava flows and
volcanic ash. Due to its basaltic nature, the porous rock of Mount Fuji is an excellent
aquifer.
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Komitake and Ashitaka preceded Mount Fuji and through time became part of Fuji's base. Kofuji is primarily composed of tephra, versus Shinfuji which developed from massive lava flows.
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This image depicts how Shinfuji developed around Kofuji. Shinfuji most likely began as a rhyolite dome in Kofuji's crater, which grew through the build up of lava flows. The lava flows laid down layers of basalt, which has a high porosity. This allows surface runoff to seep into joints and fissures to create aquifers.
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When precipitation falls on Mount Fuji, the runoff flows
into the joints and fissures of the Shinfuji deposits until it meets the
hydrologic barrier of the Kofuji mudflow layer. The water slowly filters through
the volcanic rock. The clean water then seeps from the rock to form springs
such as Wakutama Pond, Kakita River Spring, and Kohama Pond. Water cascades
from a gap between lava layers, creating Shiraito Falls. Shiraito Falls feeds
the flow of Shiba River, acting as baseflow to a stream.
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The hydrologic cycle illustrates the movement of water through earth's system. It is estimated that 2.2 billion tons of rain and snow fall on Mount Fuji every year. After evaporation, about 4.5 million tons of groundwater are stored each day. The precipitation percolates through the volcanic rock and enters the aquifer. When the aquifer is full, the water spills out through landforms such as springs. It then flows into lakes and rivers, and eventually out to the ocean.
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This photo distinctly shows the water of Shiraito Falls flowing from between rock layers. Shiraito Falls is the baseflow for the Shiba River, which is a tributary of the Arakawa River.
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When Shinfuji formed, lava flows blocked drainage pathways and
trapped water, eventually creating five lakes. Now, exposed lava tubes act as
pipes directing runoff into the lakes and other hydrologic features of Mount
Fuji. In 864 AD, the Aokigahara lava flow split Lake Senoumi into lakes Motosu
and Sai and crept into Lake Shoji. These three bodies of water share the same
source and therefore cycle at the same rate due to the movement of groundwater
through the lava.
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This picture characterizes the age and paths of various lava flows. The lava flow which split Lake Senoumi is relatively new. This process illustrates the ease with which lava cuts off drainage pathways. It should be noted that the same lava flow leads directly to lakes Motosu, Shoji, and Sai, adding evidence that the three lakes share a water source.
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The lakes are directly in line with the lava flows, suggesting that the water which flows through the closest lava flow feeds the lake. This map shows the relation of the lakes to Mount Fuji.
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Mount Fuji has three main aquifers: the superficial, the New
Fuji Lava, and the Old Fuji aquifers. Vertical movement of groundwater mixes
the pure water of the Old Fuji aquifer with newly recharged and polluted water
from the New Fuji Lava and superficial aquifers. Anthropogenic wells in the
area allow salt water from Suruga Bay to penetrate the groundwater, leading to
further contamination. This water is used for agriculture, industry and
recreational activities. Increasing pollution at all groundwater levels may
lead to the water being unsuitable for human consumption.
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| https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/hrl/5/0/5_0_58/_pdf
What is shown in this illustration: 1) The superficial aquifer occurring either in the alluvial deposits (close to the lowland) or in the surface volcanic ash beds (on the slope area), 2) The aquifer residing in the older lava flow of the New Fuji Lava Aquifer and 3) The Old Fuji Aquifer residing in the pyroclastic mudflow deposits of the Old Fuji Aquifer. "Tsuchi (2007) stated that during the solidification of basaltic lavas, the surface and the bottom of the lava flow are cooled rapidly, and crushed (https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/hrl/5/0/5_0_58/_pdf)." These crushed and permeable parts are called clinkers, which allow groundwater to flow through lava. Due to the permeabilty of the clinkers,and the proclivity of basalt to fracture and fissure, paths form through the rock which separates the aquifers. This leads to vertical movement of groundwater through the rock layers and explains how pollution enters the older aquifer, contaminating what should be pure.
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| http://www.jnto.go.jp/eng/indepth/scenic/mtfuji/fuji_02.html Suruga Bay is surprisingly close to Mount Fuji. With such proximity, it is easy to understand how anthropogenic wells could contaminate the Mount Fuji aquifer with salt water. |
http://www.asianartmall.com/mtfujiarticle.htm
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
The Meeting Place of Chaos
The Japanese island of Honshu is the meeting place of four tectonic
plates: the Pacific Plate, the Okhotsk Plate, the Amur Plate and the Philippine
Plate. The Okhotsk Plate was once part of the North American Plate, but is now an
independent plate. Similarly, there is debate as to whether the Amur Plate is
independent or whether it is still part of the Eurasian Plate. The Amur and
Okinawa Plates are subducting the Philippine Plate. The Philippine and Okhotsk
Plates are subducting the Pacific Plate.
Through time, these plates have given rise to the landforms of
Japan. One of these is the composite volcano Mt. Fuji.
Mt. Fuji is located about twenty-three miles from the plate
convergence zone. Composite volcanoes are common at subduction zones, as
evidenced by the volcanoes of the Ring of Fire.
When an ocean plate is subducted by a continental plate,
magma can rise as dewatering occurs. Dewatering is the release of water from hydrated
minerals. Dewatering happens at specific temperatures and pressures for
different minerals.
The released water lowers the melting point of the mantle
rock. The mantle rock partially melts and becomes less dense than the
surrounding rock. As it rises, it pools temporarily in the lower region of the continental
lithosphere. The magma then rises through the crust and gathers crustal silica
rock. Then it pools in the magma chamber of a volcano. Pressure and gases build
up until the volcano erupts, spewing lava and pyroclastic flows over the landscape
with explosive force. This is how Mt. Fuji and the surrounding area came to be
volcanic.
Sources
Friday, August 24, 2012
Introduction
Greetings!
My name is Caitlin Reusch and I just transferred to CU Denver. I am in between my junior and senior years of college. My major is geography, so there is no need to convert me to the major. I have been an Art major, a Biology major, and a Microbiology major. I love to travel; I have been to Europe several times and Japan twice. I have lived a summer in England, danced in the Scottish rain, crossed into Italy from Germany through the Alps, and been lost in La Samaritan department store in Paris. For someone of twenty years old, I have been lucky in my travel opportunities. I hope it remains so, and that I continue to have adventures until I am so old I can no longer walk.
I have chosen Mt. Fuji and its surrounding area because I have a great love for foreign places, especially Japan. It is a region I do not know much about and I am eager to learn more. I am particularly interested in the Aokigahara Forest, which is well known as a suicide destination in Japan. It has been popularized by Japanese media, and subsequently romanticized by the Japanese population. Couples go there to die together in the eerily silent forest. It is both a creepy and fascinating location.
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