Mount Fuji in Japan and the Himalayan Mountains in Asia are both tectonically active regions. Mount Fuji is part of a volcanic arc with frequent eruptions, while the Himalayas show no widespread surface volcanism. Scientists studying these regions aim to explain what causes this major difference in volcanic activity. Which statement best explains why Mount Fuji experiences regular volcanic eruptions while the Himalayas do not?
Answer
A
Mount Fuji is located above a subduction zone, while the Himalayas are located above another subduction zone, but differences in latitude explain the lack of eruptions in the Himalayas.
B
Mount Fuji is located above a continental–continental collision zone, while the Himalayas are located above a hot spot, which only produces uplift rather than eruptions.
C
Mount Fuji is located above a subduction zone, while the Himalayas are located where the crust is much thinner, so magma escapes underground instead of erupting at the surface.
D
Mount Fuji is located above a subduction zone, where an oceanic plate sinks and melts to produce magma, while the Himalayas are located at a continental–continental collision, which does not generate eruptions.
Explanation
Mount Fuji lies above a subduction zone, where an oceanic plate sinks beneath another plate and helps generate magma in the mantle above it; that magma can rise and erupt. The Himalayas formed mainly where the Indian and Eurasian continental plates collided, a setting that does not typically produce the volcanic arc seen at Mount Fuji. Thus, choice D best explains the difference, although the sinking plate does not simply melt wholesale to make the magma.
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