* * Clinton
Discuss the importance and economic value of these rocks in your selected region. * * Some of the important rocks in Japan that have economic value are sedimentary and igneous rocks. Sedimentary rocks are used as coal, limestone, crude oil, salt, iron ore, and clay. Coal is important to modern life and is used for fuel and energy. * Igneous rocks are also important. A few igneous rocks and their uses are Granite looks attractive when polished and is a very hard rock. It is often used for buildings, and expensive kitchen worktops. Basalt can be a rich source of iron and is commonly used as an aggregate in the building of roads. And pumice use revolves around the removal of dead skin from peoples’ feet. It is also used in abrasive cleaning products and as an ingredient in lightweight construction materials. * * *
Identify factors that influence the location and intensity of earthquakes and volcanoes for the region you have chosen.

* Located in one of the most active seismic and volcanic zones in the world, Japan is frequently affected by earthquakes and volcanic disasters. * In Japan, volcanoes arise from a subduction zone occurring at the boundary of the Pacific plate, the Pacific and Philippine plates slide under the Eurasian and North American plates and melt when they enter the mantle. Some of this molten material rises as magma and causes volcanic eruptions at the surface. * Japan is located near major tectonic plate boundaries. The subducting plates, being deeper than the Eurasian plate, pulled Japan eastward, opening the Sea of Japan. Today the Japanese archipelago is considered a mature island arc and is the result of several generations of subducting plates.