The mountains are divided into many small land blocks that are

separated by lowlands or deep saddles; there is no long or continuous

mountain range. These land blocks are the result of intense faulting
(movement of adjacent rock masses along a fracture) and warping
(bending of the Earth’s crust); the former process is regarded as
dominant. One consequence is that mountain blocks are often
bounded by fault scarps and flexure slopes that descend in step
formation to the adjacent lowlands.
Japan is one of the world’s most geologically unstable areas.
The country experiences some 1,000 tremors annually, most of them
minor, though major quakes—as in Tokyo-Yokohama in 1923
and Kōbe in 1995—cause considerable loss of life and widespread
destruction. Violent volcanic eruptions occur frequently, and at least
60 volcanoes have been active within historical time. Volcanoes born
since 1900 include Shōwa Volcano on Hokkaido and Myōjin Rock off
the Beyoneisu (or Bayonnaise) Rocks in the Pacific. Among the major
eruptions since 1980 are those of Mounts O (1983) and Mihara (1986)
in the Izu Islands and Mount Unzen (1991) in Kyushu. The country’s
abundant hot springs are mostly of volcanic origin. Many of the
gigantic volcanoes are conical in shape (e.g., Mount Fuji), while others
form steep lava domes (e.g., Mounts Dai and
Unzen). Conspicuous shield volcanoes (broad, gently sloping volcanic
cones) are rare, and extensive lava plateaus are lacking. One of the
characteristics of the volcanic areas is the prevalence
of calderas (large, circular, basin-shaped volcanic depressions),
especially in the northeast and southwest, many of which are filled
with water, such as Lakes Kutcharo, Towada, and Ashi