Tag Archives: Nankai Trough

Officials in Japan warn of potential earthquake, that could be worse than Fukushima, is overdue

japan disaster earthquake tsunami

Important Takeaways:

  • The Japanese government warns of an 80% chance of a magnitude 9 Nankai Trough earthquake in 30 years, potentially killing 300,000 people.
  • Tsunami waves up to 34 meters [111.54 ft] could devastate coastal cities, displacing 12.3 million and destroying 2.35 million buildings.
  • The economic toll could reach $1.44 trillion, nearly half of Japan’s GDP, with long-term global supply chain disruptions.
  • Evacuation improvements could reduce deaths, but current preparedness remains insufficient to meet government safety targets.
  • Past disasters like Fukushima highlight the severe risks of nuclear and environmental crises from such an event.
  • The Nankai Trough, a 600-mile (900 km) deep ocean trench, is a region where the Philippine Sea Plate is subducting beneath the Eurasian Plate. This tectonic boundary has historically produced megaquakes every 100 to 200 years. The last major event occurred in 1946, making the region overdue for another significant tremor. The Japanese government’s latest estimates, updated for the first time since 2013, account for inflationary pressures and advanced topographical data, which have expanded the anticipated flood areas.
  • The 2011 Tohoku earthquake, a magnitude 9 event, killed over 15,500 people and caused the meltdown of three nuclear reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi power plant. The tsunami waves reached heights of up to 40 meters in some areas, causing widespread destruction and environmental contamination. The Nankai Trough megaquake could be even more devastating, with the potential to surpass the 2011 disaster in both scale and impact.

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Japan issues first ever ‘megaquake’ warning hours after magnitude 7.1 tremor

Landslide-Southern-Japan

Important Takeaways:

  • The country’s meteorological agency said the chance of a major earthquake striking near the Nankai Trough is higher than usual, and estimated it could be as strong as magnitude 9.1.
  • While it said the advisory – which is expected to be in place for a week – does not necessarily mean a megaquake will occur, it urged people in the region to be prepared for evacuation if one strikes.
  • While there is no formal definition of a megaquake, they are commonly considered to be tremors with a magnitude larger than 8.0.
  • These seismic incidents – also called megathrust earthquakes – often come in pairs and occur when one tectonic plate is forced under another.
  • Japan’s largest ever tremor was in 2011, where a magnitude 9.0 quake struck in the Pacific Ocean 45 miles (72km) east of the Oshika Peninsula.
  • More than 19,000 people died from the quake and ensuing tsunami, which also caused a major incident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.

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