SHAKY GROUND

Mount Fuji Volcano in ‘Critical State’

After 2011 earthquake.

Japan has been scrambling to recover from a triple disaster in 2011: an earthquake that triggered a tsunami that caused a nuclear leak. Now, it appears the massive quake also built up pressure beneath Mount Fuji and scientists are warning of a precarious situation for the volcano. “Our work does not say that the volcano will start erupting, but it does show that it’s in a critical state,” says Florent Brenguier, a researcher at the Institute of Earth Sciences, and author of a recent study. Scientists have been scanning the depths of the earth with sensors, and found geological disturbances in Japan’s bedrock, particularly under volcanic regions.