disastrous effect on the people living in the Fuji region. The tephra released from the volcano caused an agricultural decline, leading many in the Fuji area to die of starvation. Volcanic ash fell and widely covered the cultivated fields east of Mount Fuji. To recover the fields, farmers cast volcanic products out to dumping grounds making piles. The rain washed material from the dumping grounds into the rivers and made some of the rivers shallower, especially the Sakawa River, into which huge volumes of ash fell, resulting in temporary dams. Heavy rainfall on 7–8 August 1708, the year following the Hōei eruption, caused an avalanche of volcanic ash and mud, breaking the dams and flooding the Ashigara plain. Many of the casualties caused by the Hōei eruption were due to flooding, landslides, and famine following the event. The crops began to fail when the released ash descended upon the fields, leading to widespread starvation in the Edo (renamed Tokyo in 1869) area. Due to debris that included large rocks, floodwater, and ash, people could not move easily to other places, which led to further casualties from hunger in the Edo area. Tectonic setting and the threat of more eruptions Japan is located in the most geologically active region of Earth, called The Ring of Fire. This region is known for its many volcanic eruptions and earthquakes. The Hōei eruption was preceded by a massive magnitude 8.6 earthquake, just 49 days before the eruption. Many volcanologists believe that this earthquake was likely the cause of the eruption. Based on the internal pressure inside the volcano that scientists measured in 2012, speculation of a possible eruption is high. Damage is estimated to cost Japan over US$25 billion. It is assumed that, much like the 1707 Hōei eruption, the volcano would almost certainly erupt if there was another earthquake such as the 1707 Hōei earthquake. A repeat of the 1707 Hōei eruption is also said to impact over 30 million people in the highly populated areas of eastern Tokyo, Kanagawa, Chiba and parts of Yamanashi, Saitama, and Shizuoka. The volcano would most heavily affect Tokyo, and would likely cause power outages, water shortages, and malfunctions in the highly technical city. See also 1707 Hōei earthquake Historic eruptions of Mount Fuji Mount Hōei References External links 富士山火山防災協議会 (Council for Fuji volcano disaster reduction) 富士山宝永噴火（1707）後の土砂災害(PDF) (Distribution of sediment disasters after the 1707 Hoei eruption of