Tag Archives: megaquake

After major earthquake hit Japan citizens are urged not to panic buy

Water-rationed-in-Tokyo

Important Takeaways:

  • Authorities in Japan urged people to avoid hoarding as anxiety over a possible megaquake triggered a spike Saturday in demand for disaster kits and daily necessities.
  • In its first such advisory, the weather agency said a huge earthquake was more likely in the aftermath of a magnitude 7.1 jolt in the south on Thursday which left 14 people injured.
  • At a Tokyo supermarket on Saturday, a sign was put up apologizing to customers for shortages of certain products it attributed to “quake-related media reports”.
  • “Potential sales restrictions are on the way”, the sign said, adding bottled water was already being rationed due to “unstable” procurement.
  • A magnitude-5.3 tremor rocked the Kanagawa region near Tokyo Friday, triggering emergency alarms on mobile phones and briefly suspending bullet train operations.
  • Most seismologists believe the Friday jolt had no direct link to the Nankai Trough megaquake, citing distance.
  • Sitting on top of four major tectonic plates, the Japanese archipelago of 125 million people sees some 1,500 quakes every year, most of them minor.

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Japan issues first ever ‘megaquake’ warning hours after magnitude 7.1 tremor

Landslide-Southern-Japan

Important Takeaways:

  • The country’s meteorological agency said the chance of a major earthquake striking near the Nankai Trough is higher than usual, and estimated it could be as strong as magnitude 9.1.
  • While it said the advisory – which is expected to be in place for a week – does not necessarily mean a megaquake will occur, it urged people in the region to be prepared for evacuation if one strikes.
  • While there is no formal definition of a megaquake, they are commonly considered to be tremors with a magnitude larger than 8.0.
  • These seismic incidents – also called megathrust earthquakes – often come in pairs and occur when one tectonic plate is forced under another.
  • Japan’s largest ever tremor was in 2011, where a magnitude 9.0 quake struck in the Pacific Ocean 45 miles (72km) east of the Oshika Peninsula.
  • More than 19,000 people died from the quake and ensuing tsunami, which also caused a major incident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.

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