How old is japan geologically

The general overview of the basement rocks of Japan is shown below. This map shows the distribution of the basement rocks classified mainly by the age of accretionary complex and metamorphic rocks with major tectonic lines. In northeastern Japan, the distribution and structure of the basement rocks is obscure because the basement rocks are covered by thick sediments and volcanic products developed after Neogene.

In southwestern Japan, the age of the basement rocks become systematically younger from NW to SE across the island. However, the geohistory of Japan is not fully understood and many researches are implemented to have a better understanding about its evolution. The region last experienced volcanic activity between 14 and 17 million years ago.

On the surface, surprisingly, only 0. Consequently, the habitable places, which are mainly around the coastal areas, are extremely populated. In fact, Japan is among the most densely populated nations on the globe.

The Ring of Fire has a length of about 25, miles and includes several oceanic trenches, plate movements, volcanic belts, and volcanic arcs. Since Japan is part of the ring, the archipelago is prone to destructive earthquakes as well as volcanic activity.

The ongoing subduction between tectonic plates such as the Philippine Sea Plate and the Pacific Plate is the main cause of these earthquakes. In a year, as many as 1, earthquakes can occur with most of them having a magnitude of between four and six. Another one is known as the Great Hanshin earthquake, which occurred in and killed 6, people. Aside from earthquakes occurring on land, they can also occur in the sea and lead to the formation of tsunamis.

Rocky coast on the Japanese island of Omijima. Ferdinand Bada August 22 in World Facts. Olympic Games History. Southeast Asian Countries. Ohara Y. Wallis S. Ishiwatari A. Iryu Y. Get Permissions. Abstract In this chapter we present an overview of the geology of the Japanese archipelago and the surrounding ocean basins. You do not currently have access to this chapter. You could not be signed in.

Librarian Administrator Sign In. Buy This Chapter. Geological Society, London, Geology of Series. Teresa Moreno ; Teresa Moreno. Simon Wallis ; Simon Wallis. Tomoko Kojima ; Tomoko Kojima. Wes Gibbons Wes Gibbons. Geological Society of London. Geological Society London.