2016 Kumamoto earthquakes

From Infogalactic: the planetary knowledge core
Jump to: navigation, search

Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

2016 Kumamoto earthquakes
File:Japan Shakemap 15 April 2016.jpg
United States Geological Survey shake map for the April 16 earthquake; a maximum Mercalli intensity scale value of 8.8 was observed just east of Kumamoto City.[1]
2016 Kumamoto earthquakes is located in Japan
2016 Kumamoto earthquakes
Origin time 2016-04-15 16:25:06 UTC[2]
Magnitude 7.0 Mw[2]
Depth 10 km[3]
Epicenter Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.[2]
Areas affected Kumamoto Prefecture, Kyushu, Japan[4]
Foreshocks 6.2Mw, April 14, 2016 (2016-04-14)
12:26:36 (UTC), 21:26:36 (JST)[4][5][6]
Casualties Foreshock: 9 dead, 1,108 injured

Mainshock: 40 dead, 2,021 injured[7]

Total: 49 dead, 2 missing, 3,129 injured[8][9]

The 2016 Kumamoto earthquakes (Japanese: 平成28年熊本地震 Hepburn: Heisei 28-nen Kumamoto jishin?) are a series of earthquakes,[2] including a magnitude 7.0 mainshock which struck at 01:25 JST on April 16, 2016 (16:25 UTC on April 15) beneath Kumamoto City of Kumamoto Prefecture in Kyushu Region, Japan, at a depth of about 10 kilometres (6.2 mi),[10] and a foreshock earthquake with a magnitude 6.2 at 21:26 JST (12:26 UTC) on April 14, 2016, at a depth of about 11 kilometres (6.8 mi).[4]

The two earthquakes killed at least 49 people and injured about 3,000 others in total. Severe damage occurred in Kumamoto and Ōita Prefectures, with numerous structures collapsing and catching fire. More than 44,000 people have been evacuated from their homes due to the disaster.

April 14 foreshock

File:2016 Kumamoto earthquakes (Magnitude).svg
Magnitude of earthquakes

Although the focus of the foreshock earthquake was 12.0 kilometres (7.5 mi) beneath Mount Kinpu to the north-northwest of Kumamoto's city center, the worst-hit area was in the eastern Kumamoto suburb of Mashiki, where the foreshock earthquake's victims perished.[11] The earthquake was strongly felt as far north as Shimonoseki on southwestern Honshu, and as far south as the city of Kirishima in Kagoshima Prefecture.[12] In the following hours, there were at least 11 aftershocks of at least 4.5 magnitude, one of which was a magnitude 6;[13] more than 140 aftershocks were registered within two days.[14] It was the first earthquake to occur on the island of Kyushu to register as a 7 on the Japan Meteorological Agency's (JMA) seismic intensity scale.[15][16] On April 15, the JMA officially labelled it Heisei 28-nen Kumamoto jishin (平成28年熊本地震, "Heisei 28 Kumamoto Earthquake")–Heisei 28 being the year 2016 on the Japanese calendar.[17]

At least 9 people lost their lives and approximately 1000 more were injured.[14] By April 16, more than 44,000 people were evacuated from the hardest-hit areas.[18] Prime Minister Shinzō Abe mobilized 3,000 personnel of the Japan Self-Defense Forces to assist local authorities with search and rescue and recovery efforts.[18]

April 16 main shock

At 01:25 JST on April 16 (16:25 UTC, April 15), a 7.0 magnitude earthquake, under Higashi Ward of Kumamoto City in the Kyushu Region in southwest Japan, occurred as the result of strike-slip faulting at shallow depth.[2] Significant additional damage occurred in those areas of Kumamoto Prefecture recovering from the April 14 earthquake, with strong tremors and damage also recorded as far east as the city of Beppu in Ōita Prefecture.[19] It was also felt as far away as Busan, South Korea, with an intensity of MMI III.[2][20] A tsunami advisory was issued at 01:27 JST for areas along the Ariake Sea and Yatsushiro Sea, with the wave height forecast at 0.2 to 1 m (0.7 to 3.3 ft),[18] but was lifted less than an hour later at 02:14 JST.[21]

At least 35 people were killed and more than 2,000 others were injured.[22] Kumamoto Prefectural Police got more than 300 calls and also Ōita Prefectural Police took 100 calls, some reporting people trapped or buried under debris.[23] More than 91,700 people have been evacuated. An additional 15,000 soldiers from the Japan Self-Defense Forces joined relief efforts following the earthquake.[24] By April 18, the number of people seeking shelter had risen to 180,000, while at least 8 people remained missing in a landslide caused by the earthquake.

Damage

As a result of the tremors, the entire city of Kumamoto city was left without water.[25] All residents of Nishihara Village in Kumamoto Prefecture were evacuated over fears that a nearby dam could collapse.[25] Kumamoto Airport was also closed to all but emergency flights, and service on the Kyushu Shinkansen was suspended after a train derailed due to the earthquake.[26] Numerous structures collapsed or caught fire as a result of the earthquake. Government officials estimated more than 1,000 buildings had been seriously damaged, with 90 completely destroyed.[27] A 500-bed hospital in Kumamoto City was knocked off its foundations, forcing the evacuation of all patients,[14] and a natural gas leak prompted Saibu Gas (ja) to turn off supplies to multiple homes in the city.[16]

Numerous landslides took place across the mountains of Kyushu, rendering roads impassable,[18][28] The Great Aso Bridge (ja) of the Japan National Route 325 in Minamiaso collapsed into the Kurokawa river.[29] A particularly large rockslide was photographed blocking the entirety of a four-lane express-way close to the fallen Great Aso Bridge, leaving a large scar that ran almost completely up the hill that suffered the rockslide.[citation needed]

The Aso Shrine was also heavily damaged in the earthquake. The shrine's rōmon (tower gate), officially classified as an Important Cultural Property by the Japanese government, and the haiden (worshiping hall) both completely collapsed.[30] Kumamoto Castle, another Important Cultural Property sustained damage to its roof and exterior buildings and walls because of the earthquakes and associated aftershocks.[31] Several of the castle's shachihoko ornaments were destroyed,[32] and a large number of kawara tiles also fell from the roof.[citation needed] Other historical buildings such as Janes' Residence, the first western-style house built in Kumamoto (dating from 1871) [33] were also totally destroyed[34] The former registered Cultural Asset was initially located in the grounds of Kumamoto Castle, but was later relocated near Suizen-ji Jōju-en.

Early estimates of the economic costs of the damage range from $5.5 billion to $7.5 billion, with insured property losses estimated to be between $800 million to $1.2 billion, according to Risk Management Solutions or between $1.7 billion to $2.9 billion, according to Guy Carpenter.[35]

  • The Aso-Ohashi bridge fallen by a landslip of the 2016 Kumamoto earthquakes.JPG

    The Great Aso Bridge in Minamiaso collapsed into the Kurokawa River due to a landslide

  • 2016 Kumamoto earthquake Kumamoto Castle 4.JPG

    The north-west Inui Turret and wall of Kumamoto Castle.[36]

  • 2016 Kumamoto earthquake Mr. Janes's residence 1.JPG

    The ruins of the historic Janes' Residence

  • 2016 Kumamoto earthquake Sunlive Kengun.JPG

    The damaged Sunlive Kengun in the pedestrian arcade in down-town Kumamoto.

Geology

Kumamoto Prefecture lies at the southern end of the Japan Median Tectonic Line, Japan's longest, where a system of active faults forks in two directions at the Beppu-Haneyama Fault Zone. Specifically, the series of quakes ruptured the 81-km-long Hinagu Fault and 64-km-long Futagawa Fault to its north, as well as lesser but discernable interaction with the farther flung Beppu-Haneyama Fault Zone.[37][38] A 27-km section of the Futagawa Fault Zone slid 3.5 meters.[38] The earthquakes are occurring along the Beppu–Shimabara graben,[39] with epicentres moving from west to east over time.[40]

Around 08:30 local time on 16 April, Mount Aso saw a small-scale eruption with ash billowing 100 m (330 ft) into the air; the eruption was not related to the earthquake.[41][42] Mount Aso had already been active since before the earthquakes,[43] being under a Level 2 warning from the JMA since November 24, 2015.[44][45]

See also

Notes

<templatestyles src="Reflist/styles.css" />

Cite error: Invalid <references> tag; parameter "group" is allowed only.

Use <references />, or <references group="..." />

References

<templatestyles src="Reflist/styles.css" />

Cite error: Invalid <references> tag; parameter "group" is allowed only.

Use <references />, or <references group="..." />

External links

  1. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  5. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  6. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  7. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  8. ↑ [1][dead link]
  9. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  10. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  11. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  12. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  13. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  15. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  17. ↑ The 2016 Kumamoto Earthquake -Portal- Earthquake Summary Retrieved 17 April 2016 (archive)
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 18.2 18.3 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  19. ↑ M5.1 - 8km W of Beppu, Japan http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/us20005iu4#general Retrieved April 16, 2016.
  20. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  21. ↑ JMA - Tsunami Warnings/Advisories http://www.jma.go.jp/en/tsunami/focus_03_20160416021401.html Accessed 17 April 2016
  22. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  23. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  24. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  25. ↑ 25.0 25.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  26. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  27. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  28. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  29. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  30. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  31. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  32. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  33. ↑ The Janes' Residence in Kumamoto, Kumamoto http://www.japanvisitor.com/japan-museums/janes-residence-kumamoto Retrieved 20 April 2016
  34. ↑ 明治４年の西洋建築 「ジェーンズ邸」が倒壊 http://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/html/20160416/k10010482961000.html Retrieved 20 April 2016
  35. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  36. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  37. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  38. ↑ 38.0 38.1 asia.nikkei.com/Features/Kyushu-earthquakes/Unusual-quake-cluster-worries-Japan
  39. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  40. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  41. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  42. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  43. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  44. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  45. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
Retrieved from "https://infogalactic.com/w/index.php?title=2016_Kumamoto_earthquakes&oldid=722590515"