On This Day In History: Mount Fuji Erupted – On Dec 16, 1707

AncientPages.com - On December 16, 1707, Mount Fuji - Japan’s tallest mountain, erupted.

It was the last confirmed eruption of Mount Fuji, the highest volcano and highest peak in Japan, which is still an active volcano today.

Views of Mount Fuji from Ōwakudani. Image credit: Suicasmo  - CC BY-SA 4.0

Tephra includes all solid volcanic material—not lava or volcanic gas. Tephra, released by the 1707 eruption of Mount Fuji (called the Hoei eruption), included volcanic ash and volcanic rock such as pumice and scoria. Mount Fuji’s last eruption ejected tons of tephra into the atmosphere.

The tephra was so thick that residents of Edo (now known as Tokyo, more than 100 kilometers (62 miles) away) had to use candles in the middle of the day.

Although no deaths were directly associated with the Hoei eruption, many people lost their lives due to Mount Fuji’s volcanic activity.

Damage to nearby homes and the tephra fallout reduced agricultural productivity in the region, causing many people to starve.

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