The Great Hoei Eruption, as it is now known, occurred between mid-December and early January of 1707-1708, causing earthquake-like tremors for miles around and strewing huge amounts of ash and cinder. On the fateful day of December 16, 1707, Mt. Fuji began belching up ash and cinder. The explosions continued for a period of more than two weeks, spitting up hundreds of millions of cubic feet of volcanic ash, which was spread for miles and miles to the east of the mountain.
To put the range of the explosion into context, ash even fell in the city of Tokyo nearly 90 miles away! This eruption is still remembered today for its notoriety, which created three new vent holes in the volcanic mountain.
Perhaps unfortunately, scientists believe that Mt. Fuji is about due for another seismic event. A government report done a few years ago determined that if Fuji were to erupt, it could cost tens of billions of dollars in damage, causing it to be one of the most closely monitored volcanoes in the whole world.
A series of tremors and earthquakes recently have pointed to an upwelling of magma deep within the structure of the volcano, hinting that the majestic Mt. Fuji may be reaching the zero-hour for another colossal explosion.
A major earthquake in the 1850s was the last large event observed around Mt. Fuji, and scientists expect that a new event could occur very soon. Although citizens living around Mt. Fuji do not believe that the volcano will become active again anytime soon, it is far from dormant, and another eruption may be just around the corner.
Mount Fuji had erupted in 2011 due to the earthquake that happened in Japan. Mount Fuji had not erupted since 1707.And this shock everyone.
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