"Another Gangjin Earthquake Possible"… Chilling Warning from Japanese Experts

Over 500 Earthquakes in 3 Years in Japan's Gangjin Area
"Magnitude 7.6 Is Unusual for a Seismic Cluster Region"

At least 13 people have died in a magnitude 7.6 earthquake that struck the Noto Peninsula in Ishikawa Prefecture, Honshu, Japan. Japanese earthquake experts have analyzed that there is a high possibility of continued seismic activity following this strong quake.

On the 2nd, Asahi Shimbun reported that seismic activity has been active in the northern part of the Noto Peninsula since December 2020, with 506 earthquakes of intensity 1 or higher occurring over the past three years. The region also experienced a magnitude 6.5 earthquake in May last year.

Japan Meteorological Agency’s seismic intensity scale, called 'shindo,' differs from magnitude, which measures absolute strength. Instead, shindo is a relative concept that quantifies the degree of shaking felt by people or objects in the affected area. The scale ranges from 0, when shaking is only recorded by seismographs and not felt by people, to 7, when standing is impossible, divided into 10 levels.

On the 1st, after a magnitude 7.6 earthquake struck Wajima City on the Noto Peninsula in Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan, the ground cracked. The Japan Meteorological Agency announced that from 4:10 PM to midnight that day, 93 earthquakes with a seismic intensity of 1 or higher were recorded. [Image source=AP Yonhap News]

Earthquake experts evaluated that it is unusual for a magnitude 7.6 strong quake to occur in a swarm earthquake region where earthquakes of similar magnitude usually happen repeatedly. Junichi Nakajima, a professor at Tokyo Institute of Technology, said, "In typical swarm earthquakes, quakes exceeding magnitude 6 are rare," adding, "This means a wide fault moved, and honestly, I was surprised." Takuya Nishimura, a professor at Kyoto University’s Disaster Prevention Research Institute, also said, "The mechanism is the same as previous earthquakes on the Noto Peninsula, but I did not expect such a large magnitude earthquake to occur."

This earthquake is reported to be similar in magnitude to the 1983 Central Sea of Japan earthquake (magnitude 7.7) and the 1993 offshore southwestern Hokkaido earthquake (magnitude 7.8). Yasuhiko Umeda, professor emeritus at Kyoto University, explained to Sankei Shimbun the cause of the earthquake: "On the Noto Peninsula, a series of earthquakes are occurring as high-temperature fluids exceeding 300 degrees Celsius rise from deep underground," and "Torsion in faults has accumulated inland, leading to active seismic activity in weaker areas."

Experts warned that strong earthquakes could continue to occur on the Noto Peninsula. Fumihiko Imamura, a professor at Tohoku University, said, "I hope people do not think that the earthquakes and tsunamis have ended with this event," noting that during the 1983 Central Sea of Japan earthquake, locally, tsunami waves over 10 meters high were generated. Professor Nishimura also said, "Because faults are complexly distributed on the Sea of Japan side, when one moves, surrounding faults tend to move as well, making activity more likely."

Meanwhile, the Japan Meteorological Agency announced that from 4:10 p.m. on the 1st, when the magnitude 7.6 earthquake occurred, until midnight on the 2nd, 93 earthquakes of intensity 1 or higher were observed. Ishikawa Prefecture authorities, where the strongest shaking occurred, announced that 4 people died due to this earthquake. However, there is a high possibility of additional casualties being identified in Ishikawa Prefecture. Numerous reports of houses collapsing due to the earthquake have been received, and fires have broken out in various locations. In Toyama Prefecture, which borders Ishikawa Prefecture, 18 people were injured, including 3 seriously injured. Niigata Prefecture and Fukui Prefecture also reported 18 and 6 injured people, respectively.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.