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2016 Kumamoto earthquakes

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2016 Kumamoto earthquakes
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
2016 Kumamoto earthquakes is located in Kyushu
2016 Kumamoto earthquakes
UTC time??
Magnitude7.0 Mw[2]
Depth10 km[3]
Epicenter32°46′55.2″N 130°43′33.6″E / 32.782000°N 130.726000°E / 32.782000; 130.726000[2]
Areas affectedKumamoto Prefecture, Kyushu, Japan[4]
Foreshocks6.2Mw
April 14, 2016 (2016-04-14)
21:26:39 (JST)[4][5][6]
CasualtiesForeshock: 9 dead, 1,108 injured

Mainshock: 32 dead,[7][8] 2,021 injured[9]

Total: 41 dead, 11 missing, 3,129 injured[9][10]

The 2016 Kumamoto earthquakes (Japanese: 熊本地震 (2016年), Hepburn: Kumamoto jishin 2016-nen) are a series of earthquakes,[2] including a mainshock which occurred at magnitude 7.0 at 01:25 JST[a] on April 16, 2016, around Kumamoto City of Kumamoto Prefecture in Kyushu Region, Japan, at a depth of about 10 kilometres (6.2 mi),[11] and a foreshock earthquake which preceded it with a magnitude 6.2 at 21:26 JST[b] on April 14, 2016, at a depth of about 11 kilometres (6.8 mi).[4]

The two earthquakes killed at least 41 people and injured about 3,000 others in total. Severe damage occurred in and around Kumamoto, 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

Magnitude of earthquakes

Although the epicenter of the foreshock earthquake occurred 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.[12] 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.[13] In the following hours, there were at least 11 aftershocks of at least 4.5 magnitude, one of which was a magnitude 6;[14] more than 140 aftershocks were registered within two days.[15] 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.[16][17] On April 15, the JMA officially labelled it "平成28年熊本地震" ("Heisei 28 Kumamoto Earthquake") - Heisei 28 being equivalent to 2016 in Japanese calendar.[18]

At least 9 people lost their lives and approximately 1000 more were injured.[15] By April 16, more than 44,000 people were evacuated from the hardest-hit areas.[19] 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.[19]

April 16 mainshock

At 1:25 a.m. JST on April 16 (16:25 UTC, April 15), a 7.0 magnitude earthquake under Kumamoto Prefecture in 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.[20] It was also felt as far away as Busan, South Korea, with an intensity of MMI III.[2][21] A tsunami advisory was issued at 1:27 a.m. 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),[19] but was lifted less than an hour later at 2:14 a.m. JST [22]

At least 32 people were killed and more than 2,000 others were injured.[23] Police received more than 300 calls in Kumamoto and 100 from Ōita from residents seeking help; many involved people trapped under rubble.[24] 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.[25] By April 17, the number of people seeking shelter had risen to 180,000, while at least 11 remained missing in difficult to reach areas. Government officials estimated more than 1,000 buildings had been seriously damaged in the quakes, with 90 completely destroyed.[10]

Damage

The Great Aso Bridge (阿蘇大橋, Aso Ō-hashi) in Minamiaso, pictured here in 2009, collapsed into the Kurokawa River.[26]

As a result of the tremors, the entire city of Kumamoto city was left without water.[27] All residents of Nishihara, Kumamoto, were evacuated over fears that a nearby dam could collapse.[27] Kumamoto Airport was also closed to all but emergency flights. Numerous landslides took place across the mountains of Kyushu, rendering roads impassable.,[19][28] and service on the Kyushu Shinkansen was suspended after a train derailed due to the earthquake.[29] Numerous structures collapsed or caught fire as a result of the earthquake. A 500-bed hospital in Kumamoto was knocked off its foundations, forcing the evacuation of all patients,[15] and a natural gas leak prompted Saibu Gas to turn off supplies to multiple homes in Kumamoto.[17]

A particularly large rockside was photographed blocking the entirety of a four-lane motorway close to the fallen Great Aso Bridge, leaving a large scar that ran almost completely up the hill that suffered the rockslide.

The Great Aso Bridge [ja] of the Japan National Route 325 in Minamiaso collapsed into the Kurokawa river.[26] The Aso Shrine was also heavily damaged in the earthquake. The shrine's rōmon (tower gate), officially classified as a 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.

Etiology

Kumamoto lies at the southern end of the Japan Median Tectonic Line, Japan's longest, where a system of active faults forks in two directions. The earthquakes are occurring along the Beppu–Shimabara graben,[33] with epicentres moving from west to east over time.[34]

Around 8:30 a.m. local time on 16 April, Mount Aso saw a small-scale eruption with ash billowing 100 m (330 ft) into the air; it is unclear whether the eruption is related to the earthquake.[35] Mount Aso had already been active since before the earthquakes,[36] being under a Level 2 warning from the JMA since November 24, 2015.[37][38]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ 16:25 UTC 15 April
  2. ^ 12:26 UTC

References

  1. ^ "M7.0 - 1km WSW of Kumamoto-shi, Japan: Shake Map". United States Geological Survey. April 15, 2016. Retrieved April 15, 2016.
  2. ^ a b c d e f "M7.0 - 1km WSW of Kumamoto-shi, Japan". United States Geological Survey. Retrieved April 15, 2016.
  3. ^ "M7.0 - 1km WSW of Kumamoto-shi, Japan". earthquake.usgs.gov. Retrieved April 16, 2016.
  4. ^ a b c 平成２８年４月１４日２１時２６分頃の熊本県熊本地方の地震について [About the earthquake in the Kumamoto area of Kumamoto Prefecture, around 21:26, April 14, 2016]. Japan Meteorological Agency (in Japanese). April 14, 2016. Retrieved April 15, 2016.
  5. ^ =緊急地震速報の内容 [The contents of the Earthquake Early Warning]. Japan Meteorological Agency (in Japanese). April 14, 2016. Retrieved April 15, 2016.
  6. ^ "M6.2 - 7km SW of Ueki, Japan". United States Geological Survey. Retrieved April 15, 2016.
  7. ^ CNN, Junko Ogura, Madison Park, Yoko Wakatsuki and Ray Sanchez. "Japan earthquakes: 'Race against the clock' to find survivors". CNN. Retrieved April 16, 2016. {{cite news}}: |last1= has generic name (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  8. ^ CNN, Junko Ogura, Madison Park and Yoko Wakatsuki. "Japan earthquakes: 'It's swaying every hour'". CNN. {{cite news}}: |last1= has generic name (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  9. ^ a b "41 Killed, 1,500 Injured After Major Japan Earthquake". The Weather Channel. Retrieved April 16, 2016.
  10. ^ a b "Eleven people remain missing in southern Japan from two powerful earthquakes that killed 41 people". US News. April 17, 2016. Retrieved April 17, 2016.
  11. ^ "M7.0 – 1km WSW of Kumamoto-shi, Japan". USGS Earthquake Hazards Program. Retrieved April 15, 2016.
  12. ^ "At Least 10 Dead, More Than 800 Injured in Japan 6.5-Magnitude Earthquake". ABC News. April 15, 2016. Retrieved April 15, 2016.
  13. ^ 地震情報（各地の震度に関する情報） [Earthquake Information: Information on the Seismic Activity in Affected Areas] (in Japanese). Japan Meteorological Agency. April 14, 2016. Retrieved April 15, 2016.
  14. ^ "6.2 Magnitude Earthquake Hits Southern Japan, Killing 2; Homes Collapse, 45 Injured".
  15. ^ a b c Doug Stanglin (April 16, 2016). "Hospital evacuated after major quake rocks Japanese island". USA Today. Retrieved April 16, 2016.
  16. ^ "More aftershocks feared after strong quake in southwestern Japan". Nikkei Asian Review. April 15, 2016. Retrieved April 15, 2016.
  17. ^ a b Daisuke Kikuchi (April 15, 2016). "Kumamoto residents pick up the pieces following Kyushu's strongest quake". The Japan Times. Retrieved April 15, 2016.
  18. ^ The 2016 Kumamoto Earthquake -Portal- Earthquake Summary http://www.jma.go.jp/jma/en/2016_Kumamoto_Earthquake/2016_Kumamoto_Earthquake.html Retrieved 17 April 2016
  19. ^ a b c d Don Melvin; Greg Botelho; Ray Sanchez (April 16, 2016). "7.0 quake strikes Japan; rescuers try to free residents". CNN. Retrieved April 16, 2016.
  20. ^ M5.1 - 8km W of Beppu, Japan http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/us20005iu4#general Retrieved April 16, 2016.
  21. ^ "Magnitude 3 Tremors Felt in Southern Region".
  22. ^ JMA - Tsunami Warnings/Advisories http://www.jma.go.jp/en/tsunami/focus_03_20160416021401.html Accessed 17 April 2016
  23. ^ "Rescue crews seek survivors of 2nd Japanese quake; at least 19 dead". CNN. April 16, 2016. Retrieved April 16, 2016.
  24. ^ "Reports of people trapped after magnitude-7.3 quake hits southern Japan". Fox News. Associated Press. April 16, 2016. Retrieved April 16, 2016.
  25. ^ Caroline Mortimer (April 16, 2016). "Japan earthquake: Tsunami alert after 7.3 tremor his south of country – 24 hours after 10 died in separate quake". The Independent. Retrieved April 16, 2016.
  26. ^ a b "Large road bridge collapses as new quake hits Kumamoto". Asahi Shimbun. April 16, 2016. Retrieved April 16, 2016.
  27. ^ a b "2nd Japanese earthquake leaves at least 3 dead, 400 injured". CBC News. April 16, 2016. Retrieved April 16, 2016.
  28. ^ "PHOTOS: Second Devastating Earthquake Hits Japan Triggering Landslides". NBC News.
  29. ^ "Aftershocks rattle southwestern Japan after quake kills nine". Reuters. April 15, 2016. Retrieved April 15, 2016.
  30. ^ "Designated national cultural asset at Aso Shrine collapses in Kumamoto quake". Mainichi Shimbun. April 16, 2016. Retrieved April 16, 2016.
  31. ^ "Quake damages roof, walls at Kumamoto Castle". Asahi Shimbun. April 15, 2016. Retrieved April 15, 2016.
  32. ^ 熊本城 地震で「しゃちほこ」なくなる [Kumamoto Castle: The Earthquake Destroys the Castle's 'Sachihako'"] (in Japanese). NHK. April 15, 2016. Retrieved April 15, 2016.
  33. ^ "Kyushu". Introduction to the Landforms and Geology of Japan. GLGArcs. Retrieved April 16, 2016.
  34. ^ "Seismic activity could move east, trigger quakes in active faults". The Asahi Shimbun. The Asahi Shimbun Company. Retrieved April 16, 2016.
  35. ^ "Small eruption seen on Mount Aso after latest quakes". The Japan Times. Reuters. April 16, 2016. Retrieved April 16, 2016.
  36. ^ "Small-scale eruption at Mt. Aso in Kumamoto not related to quakes: volcanologist". The Mainichi Newspapers. Mainichi, Japan. April 16, 2016. Retrieved April 16, 2016.
  37. ^ "Volcanic Warnings". Japan Meteorological Agency. Japan Meteorological Agency. Retrieved April 16, 2016.
  38. ^ "Aso Volcanic Warning Level Lowered to Level 2, Entry Allowed Up to Mt. Aso Rope Way Asosan-Nishi Station". Kumamoto Prefectural Tourist Board. 熊本県観光課. Retrieved April 16, 2016.
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