Glossary

Volcanoes and Japan    Mount Fuji    Hakone   


andesite - intermediate silica content igneous rock

Buddhist - religion originating in India that had a large influence in Japanese culture

basalt - a fine-grained extrusive igneous rock, and when unweathered it is black to green-black in color

caldera - an enormous crater formed by the collapse of a volcanic dome

composite volcano (stratovolcano) - a volcano that emits both tephra and viscous lava, and that builds up steep conical mounds

crater - often bowl-shaped depression, usually at the top of a volcano

hot spot - volcanic area in the earth where molten material punches through thin or ripped sections in the crust

igneous - rock or mineral formed from molten material

lava - molten material that has erupted from a volcanic vent

magma - molten material within the earth

mantle - thick shell of dense, rocky matter that surrounds the planet's core

prefecture - in Japan, a geographical area similar to a county in the United States.  Prefectures may include several towns and cities.

rhyolite - high
silica content igneous rock

Shinto - religion unique to Japan that worships nature and associated spiritual presences

shogun - hereditary ruler of Japanese military that took control of Japan from the 12th to 19th century

stratovolcano (composite volcano) -
a volcano that emits both tephra and viscous lava, and that builds up steep conical mounds

subduction zone - an area where one tectonic plate bends beneath another tectonic plate.  Usually, a denser plate (oceanic) subducts (dives) beneath a more buoyant plate (continental).

tectonic plate - a piece of the Earth's crust (or lithosphere). The surface of the Earth consists of seven major tectonic plates and many more minor ones.
    Such plates move over time through a process known as continental drift, which is explained by the     theory of plate tectonics.

vent - opening of a volcano where magma erupts as lava

volcano - the vent from which igneous matter, solid rock, debris, and gases are erupted