- During this period, the Earth's crust was made up of a single landmass called Pangea, which began to break apart over time, forming new continents and oceans.
-Around 100 million years ago, the Eurasian and North American plates collided, creating the Pacific Ocean and Japan's location at the convergence of several tectonic plates.
-The result of this collision was the formation of a series of volcanic arcs, which continued to grow and eventually merged to form the Japanese archipelago.
-The collision of tectonic plates along these boundaries created the complex geology and topography of Japan, with its many islands, deep ocean trenches, and high mountain ranges.
-Additional volcanic activity and mountain-building processes throughout the region continued to shape the islands and their landscapes.
-Around 20 million years ago, the Izu-Bonin-Mariana Arc (IBM Arc), a series of oceanic islands and trenches, began to form east of Japan due to the subduction of the Pacific Plate beneath the Philippine Sea Plate.
-The Japan Trench, which reaches a depth of nearly 11,000 meters, is the result of the subduction of the Pacific Plate beneath the Japanese Islands.
-It is still active today, playing a significant role in shaping Japan's geography through ongoing seismic and volcanic activity.