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What happened underground to cause the Kobe earthquake?

What happened underground to cause the Kobe earthquake?

Japan is one of the most geologically active regions on Earth, a place where four major tectonic plates—the Eurasian, Philippine, Pacific, and North American—meet and interact. The Kobe quake was a result of an east-west strike-slip fault where the Eurasian and Philippine plates interact.

How deep was the Kobe quake below the surface?

It lasted about 20 seconds and registered as a magnitude 6.9 (7.3 on the Richter scale). Its epicentre was the northern part of Awaji Island in the Inland Sea, 12.5 miles (20 km) off the coast of the port city of Kōbe; the quake’s focus was about 10 miles (16 km) below the earth’s surface.

Why was the Kobe earthquake so devastating?

This was because it was built on easily moving ground which LIQUIFIED, allowing building to collapse and sink. The worst effected area was in the central part of Kobe including the main docks and port area. This area is built on soft and easily moved rocks, especially the port itself which is built on reclaimed ground.

How long after the 2011 Japan earthquake did the tsunami hit?

On March 11, 2011, a magnitude (Mw) 9.1 earthquake struck off the northeast coast of Honshu on the Japan Trench. A tsunami that was generated by the earthquake arrived at the coast within 30 minutes, overtopping seawalls and disabling three nuclear reactors within days.

How many people were left homeless after the Kobe earthquake?

300,000 people homeless
The earthquake resulted in more than 6,000 deaths and over 30,000 injuries. Fires following the earthquake incinerated the equivalent of 70 U.S. city blocks. They together destroyed over 150,000 buildings and left about 300,000 people homeless.

How long did it take to rebuild Japan after the Kobe earthquake?

And then the city’s infrastructure was gradually built, with the private railways coming back within about six months. After that, a little later, came larger infrastructure—Highway No. 1, which goes through Kobe from east to west, took about two years to rebuild. The port took about two years to rebuild.

What effects did the Kobe earthquake have?

Primary effects included the collapse of 200,000 buildings, the collapse of 1km of the Hanshin Expressway, the destruction of 120 of the 150 quays in the port of Kobe, and fires which raged over large portions of the city. Secondary effects included disruption of the electricity and gas supply.

Can you swim under a tsunami?

“A person will be just swept up in it and carried along as debris; there’s no swimming out of a tsunami,” Garrison-Laney says. “There’s so much debris in the water that you’ll probably get crushed.”

Have there been any tsunamis in 2020?

On 30 October 2020, a significant tsunami triggered by an earthquake of magnitude 7.0 Mw hit the island of Samos (Greece) and the Aegean coast of the Izmir region (Turkey).

How much property damage was estimated in the Kobe earthquake?

The January 17, 1995, earth- quake that devastated Kobe, Japan, caused about $100 billion in prop- erty losses, making it the most expensive earthquake ever to strike an urban area. The earthquake killed 5378 people, damaged or destroyed about 152,000 buildings, and inciner- ated the equivalent of 70 U.S. city blocks.

How much money did it cost to repair Japan after the 2011 tsunami?

Japan’s Tsunami and Nuclear Disaster Unleashed a $300 Billion Effort to Rebuild a Hinterland.