Geology of Japan

Japan is a mostly volcanic island located on an active plate rim. It belongs to the fire belt, a chain of volcanic activity around the Pacific Plate.

Japan is a country with a very steep relief, a mountain range in the sea. The mountains are formed by the collision of two plates. This results in stress in the rocks, tectonic movements, earthquakes and volcanism.

The mountains are composed of all types of rocks. Numerous volcanoes produced huge amounts of igneous rocks. All kinds of sedimentary rocks, sandstones, cherts and limestones, deposited on the floor of the Pacific Ocean, where aggregated by the convergent movement and uplifted by the orogeny. There are also reef limestones, formed along the coast of Japan and later uplifted.