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The earthquake last year has put so much pressure on Mount Fuji's magma chamber that it could very well erupt any time now. The National Research Institute for Earth Science and Disaster Prevention said that however, the jump in pressure is not the only factor that could cause the volcano to blow, and no signs of a pending eruption have been detected. Based on the tectonic movements caused by the magnitude 9.0 quake that struck off the coast of the Tohoku region in March 2011 and the magnitude 6.4 quake that followed four days later, the researchers estimate that about 1.6 megapascals of pressure were placed on the magma chamber, which is equivalent to an atmospheric pressure of some 15.8 kg per sq. cm., The Japan Times reports. Mount Fuji most recently erupted in 1707 but under the same circumstances. At the time, the rise in pressure caused by the preceding quake, which hit right before the eruption, was weaker than that caused by last year's quakes, the group said. The group said that in the past, 0.1 to several megapascals of pressure have been enough to trigger volcanic eruptions, including at Mount Fuji. Although conditions in the magma chamber vary, 1.6 megapascals is "not a small figure," said Eisuke Fujita, a senior researcher at the institute.

Japan's Mount Fuji volcano on brink of eruption