What is so special about the earthquake on the Noto Peninsula in Japan, and why is it so destructive? Let's find out today. Since the 7.6 magnitude earthquake that struck the Noto Peninsula in Japan, nearly 1,400 aftershocks have occurred in Japan in the next half month. According to the latest data released by Ishikawa Prefecture in Japan, the earthquake on the Noto Peninsula in Japan has killed 236 people, 19 people are missing, injured 1,025 people, and damaged about 22,000 houses. According to the Japan Meteorological Agency, since the 7.6 magnitude earthquake that struck the Noto Peninsula on the first day of the new year, the region has been plagued by earthquakes for the next period of time. According to American geologists, the earthquake in Japan is likely to last for several months. In the coming months, an earthquake on the Noto Peninsula in Japan may become the norm.
On the first day of the 2024 New Year, a magnitude 7.6 earthquake struck the Noto Peninsula in Japan, accompanied by more than 1,400 aftershocks. The earthquake triggered a powerful tsunami that affected an area of more than 190 hectares, the largest tsunami disaster since the Great East Japan Earthquake. Although earthquakes are a common occurrence in Japan, the earthquake not only killed hundreds of people, but also caused severe damage to local buildings and infrastructure, and had a huge impact on people's lives and economies. Many people will wonder why this earthquake caused so much damage when a large number of earthquakes occur in Japan every year, and according to Japanese earthquake experts, this earthquake in Japan was a swarm earthquake. Although there are no mainshocks, there are multiple earthquakes of similar magnitude that release the energy stored in the ground. Because the epicenter of the earthquake is relatively shallow from the surface, the energy of the seismic waves is more likely to propagate to the ground, making the tremor more intense and easily causing great damage.
Geographically, Japan is located at the intersection of the Pacific Plate and the Eurasian Plate, and is located in the Pacific Rim Seismic Zone. Japan is located to the east of the Pacific Rim Seismic Zone, which is an area of intense plate movement. As the plates collide and squeeze each other, the Pacific plate, the Philippine plate, the Eurasian plate and the North American plate collide and rub against each other, and the movement between the plates creates huge in-situ stresses. The inter-tectonic movement of plates leads to the accumulation of crustal stresses, and when the intercrustal stresses accumulate to a certain extent, an earthquake occurs to release the energy stored in the ground.
It was learned from the Internet that when a 9.0-magnitude earthquake occurred in Japan in 2011, it not only triggered a tsunami, which brought huge economic losses and casualties to Japan, but also caused large-scale fractures and slips in Japan's submarine crust, resulting in a 26-meter-high fault cliff in the deep trench under the sea. According to scientists' research, the formation of submarine fault cliffs is related to the interaction of plate boundaries, topography, and ocean depth, and the formation of submarine fault cliffs is one of the results of local seismic activity in Japan. During the earthquake, the fracture of the plates leads to the formation of fault cliffs, and in aftershocks after the earthquake, these fault cliffs may also continue to slide, causing more earthquakes. Many people suspect that the 7.6-magnitude earthquake and more than 1,400 aftershocks that struck the Noto Peninsula in Japan were probably related to the activity of the submarine fault cliffs.
In fact, the earthquake in Japan occurred in the Noto Peninsula region, far from the epicenter of the 2011 earthquake, so it can be preliminarily concluded that the earthquake in Japan is not directly related to the submarine fault cliffs. Since the magnitude 9.0 earthquake in Japan in 2011, the frequency of earthquakes in Japan has become more and more frequent, although there is not enough evidence to prove that frequent earthquakes in Japan are related to submarine faults, but frequent seismic activity is likely to affect the seabed structure. Coupled with the fact that Japan is located in a seismic zone, the presence of submarine fault cliffs in the area of submarine fault cliffs makes Japan more vulnerable to strong earthquakes and tsunamis.
As earthquakes and volcanic eruptions become more frequent in Japan, many seismologists speculate that a mega-earthquake is likely to be brewing in Japan, and that the magnitude of the earthquake is likely to exceed 9.0. For an island nation like Japan, if a mega earthquake occurs in the future, it will be a catastrophe for Japan. In addition, Japan's Mount Fuji has already accumulated enough energy to reach the critical point of eruption, and an eruption may occur at any time. Under the combined threat of a mega-earthquake and the eruption of Mt. Fuji, Japan's demise could be accelerated. What are your thoughts on the frequent earthquakes in Japan?