20 years after Kobe earthquake On January 17, thousands of people joined memorial ceremonies for the deceased during the January 17, 1995 Kobe, or Hyogoken-nambu Earthquake around Kobe, Japan. The earthquake killed 6434 people and injured 43792 people. The loss by ground shaking from the Mw 6.9 earthquake was by far severer than 2011 Tohoku Mw 9.0 earthquake, the energy of which was thousand times more than 1995. The strong ground motion was due to the hypocenter just under Kobe and the contact between solid granitic bedrock and Quaternary sediments. The hazards were precious, but costly lessons for Quaternary research. Researchers on tectonics knew well about the existing Quaternary faults under and around Kobe. However, the information had never been shared with public and the risks had never been assessed before 1995. The effects of sediments against basement rocks are first revealed after the hazards. The earthquake changed Japanese earthquake hazard policy significantly, but the risks from subduction earthquake and tsunami override the hazards like in Kobe from on-shore Quaternary faults. Off course, the hazards like in 2011 are tremendous, but the shaking under us may harm much more people than subduction earthquakes. Remeber Kobe! is the message after 20 years of 1995 earthquake. [Photos by Kokusai Aero Servie Co.]
Posted on: Fri, 23 Jan 2015 03:27:25 +0000
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