Another Quake Strikes Japan; 9 Dead; Aftershocks Continue

Japan earthquake hits Kinki

Another deadly tremor measuring 6.5 on richter scale has struck Japan's Kyushu island in the wee hours of April 15th. Nine persons have already died in the south Japan earthquake and many more are feared trapped under collapsed buildings.


The earthquake was so severe that the tremors were felt for 20 seconds, leaving 800 severely wounded.

About 7,50,000 people felt the violent to severe shaking due to the shallow depth of the earthquake, reported just 10 kms or 6.1 miles beneath the earth.

Since it was a shallow earthquake, the shaking of the earth is more intense. Deeper quakes cause less shaking, while shallow and surface tremors are the most severe, since they are closer to the surface and can spiral to a larger area.

Thankfully, there are no fears of tsunami, since the epicenter of this Japan earthquake was in the land, not in the sea bed.

This quake follows the recent Okinawa quake. Japan experiences frequent tremors since it sits in the Ring of Fire, which is the most prone to tremors, primarily because the islands sit on three continental plates that are striking against each other, thus producing enormous seismic pressure.

April 1 st Earthquake Jolted Central Japan, Tremors Felt in Kinki, No Casualty Reported


An earthquake of 6 magnitude in Richter Scale hit Japan’s central west coast at 11:39 AM, April 1. Honshu, Japan’s premier tourist destination, was jolted along with large swaths of land in central and western parts of the country, including the Wakayama prefecture and Kinki region.

 No tsunami warning has been issued, though the civil defense is advised to remain prepared. There are no immediate reports of damage or causality.

 The epicenter was believed to be at a depth of 10 km and at 170 km away from Osaka and 56km South East of Shingu.



Japan Tremor History

 Japan has been frequented by earthquakes and tsunamis are a result of underwater earthquakes. Almost 20% of world's tremors are felt in Japan. Its proximity to the "Pacific Ring of Fire" volcanic zone and location at two tectonic junctures make it more vulnerable to earthquakes. To the north, the Pacific Plate is going below the Okhotsk Plate and to the south, Amurian Plate and Okinawa Plate are being pushed upward by the Philippine Sea Plate making tremors rampant.

Recently, an earthquake measuring 9 on Richter scale led to a massive damage in 2011. The Japan earthquake caused a massive tsunami along the pacific coast of Tohoku that swept away many settlements and damaged a nuclear power plant.

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