Final Hazards Report
Being in such a high activity location, Japan has encountered some form of almost every disaster we have studied in this course. Being on the ring of fire, Japan's seismicity is a major focus as it contributes to a majority of their disasters. Japan is located at an intersection between four tectonic plates: the Eurasian Plate, the North American Plate, Pacific Plate, and the Philippine Plate. All four of these boundaries are convergent which we all know indicates that the area will experience high earthquake activity and explosive volcanos. This busy intersection of tectonic plates is what leads it to so many disasters because with every shift of the plate, the entire island is at mercy. With that being said, earthquakes are Japan's primary hazard. This small archipelago withstands over 20% of the planets recorded earthquakes, averaging at 7-8 major quakes per decade. Additionally, being surrounded by water, with every slip of a plate, there is a literal ripple effect. The