A series of earthquakes that shook Japan 150 times... Why?
What happened in Japan?
A 7.6-magnitude earthquake hit the Noto Peninsula at around 4pm on january 1. At least 48 people have been killed in the earthquake off Japan's northwest coast. Many were injured.The earthquake prompted a tsunami warning for all coastal areas of the country. The earthquake triggered panic among people who were celebrating the New Year with family and friends. The japan Meteorological Agency has issued a warning that a tsunami wave of up to 16 feet is possible on Monday. Later, the tsunami warning was withdrawn after 10 am on Tuesday.
The New Year's earthquake was one of the largest to hit japan since 2018. At least 200 buildings have been damaged as a result. As a result, thousands of people were deprived of food, drinking water and electricity. Also, rail and road transport facilities were disrupted in the surrounding areas.
Is there a continuing risk of earthquakes?
Another similar earthquake is likely, the japan Meteorological Agency said in a press conference. It has also said that the buildings there are in great danger due to the frequent occurrence of earthquakes in the area.
The japan Meteorological Agency has warned that there is a possibility of large earthquakes and tsunamis in the coming week in areas badly affected by the earthquake and residents should be alert.
According to Japan's Headquarters for Earthquake Research, underground plates are pushing against each other on the Noto Peninsula. Due to this, earthquakes are increasing in the region since 2018. Earthquakes have increased in the last three years.
From november 2020 to february 2023, more than 14,000 small earthquakes occurred on the Noto Peninsula. A 6.5 magnitude earthquake occurred in Noto area last year in May. At least one person died.
The Noto-Hando earthquake was the largest earthquake in the last century on the Noto Peninsula. It occurred on march 25, 2007 with a magnitude of 6.9.
Earthquake risk in Japan?
Thousands of people died in the great earthquakes in Japan. The Great east japan Earthquake occurred in 2011. Most of the northern parts of the country were destroyed. About 20,000 people died in that earthquake and subsequent tsunami. About 2,500 people are missing.
More than 1,20,000 buildings were completely destroyed. This resulted in Japan's worst nuclear disaster at the tokyo Electric Fukushima plant. The country's government raised taxes to recover from its effects.
An earthquake in 1995 killed more than 6,000 people. The 2016 Kumamoto earthquake killed more than 200 people. The death toll from the 1923 tokyo earthquake is said to exceed 100,000.