“The Noto Earthquake is likely to have occurred due to the linkage of active faults on the ocean floor.”
The Japanese government’s Earthquake Investigation Committee released an analysis showing that Japan should be cautious of strong earthquakes for the next two to three weeks due to a magnitude 7.6 earthquake that occurred on the Noto Peninsula on the 1st.
According to local public broadcasters NHK and Yomiuri Shimbun on the 16th, a meeting of the government earthquake investigation committee (investigation committee) was held the previous day.
At the meeting, the investigation committee summarized and announced its opinion that “there is a high possibility that (the Noto earthquake) occurred due to the linking of multiple submarine active fault zones around the (Noto) Peninsula.”
Regarding the future outlook, “Seismic activity will continue for the time being. “We need to be careful about earthquakes of magnitude 5 or higher for the next two to three weeks,” he said. He urged caution, saying, “If a large-scale earthquake occurs on the ocean floor, we need to be careful of tsunamis.”
The Japan Meteorological Agency divides earthquake shaking into 10 levels: intensity 0, intensity 1, intensity 2, intensity 3, intensity 4, intensity 5, intensity 5, intensity 6, intensity 6, and intensity 7. Jindo 0 is the lowest level.
A tremor of intensity level 5 is enough to make it difficult to walk without holding on to something. It is at the level of a strong earthquake. Dishes, books, etc. from tables and desks often fall, and there is a risk that unsecured furniture may topple over.
On the northern side of the Noto Peninsula, there are multiple submarine active fault zones from northeast to southwest.
According to the investigation committee, it is highly likely that the Noto earthquake was caused by two active fault zones (total length of 60 km) linking together from the coast of Suzu City, Ishikawa Prefecture to the coast of Wajima City, Ishikawa Prefecture. .
In addition, there is a possibility that several active fault zones between the Noto Peninsula and Sado Island, Niigata Prefecture were also involved.
However, compared to earthquakes that occur on land, underwater earthquakes are difficult to observe. The investigation committee stated that there is a need to conduct a detailed investigation into the impact in the future.
Previously, on the 1st, a strong earthquake with a magnitude of 7.6 occurred on the Noto Peninsula in Japan. The number of deaths from the earthquake was 222 as of 9 a.m. on the 16th. There were 1,029 injured.
Damage to at least 20,814 homes was confirmed. As of 11 a.m. on the 16th, approximately 8,200 households are experiencing power outages.
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.