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Giant earthquake rocks Japan
- Thread starter Rower_CPU
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Yeah, horrible. From what I hear there are scores of injuries but no casualties as of yet. Fortunately, Japanese civil engineering is one of the most advanced in the world and like California have one of the strictest building codes. The tsunami watch was cancelled here in Hawaii. The last tsunami that hit Hawaii from a quake generated in Japan was in the early 30's I believe but one can never be too careful when it involves the sheer power of the ocean.
Yeah, I've been watching the local TV for a while and it seems not much damage has occurred. A little water drainage, roads cracked up, but not many casualties. Then again, it is Hokkaido, way up in the North, so there aren't that many multi-storied buildings and such. Not much to damage, I guess.
irmongoose
irmongoose
That must have been one hell of a ride. I remember being on top of the '89 quake, and that one was only a 7.
A lot of things determine damage levels. Soil consistency, quake duration, direction and acceleration of the ground motion are just a few, not to mention type and quality of construction. The Japanese are well known for their strict earthquake-related building codes, but even they were surprised by the level of damage that occured in Kobe.
Also it seems to have been a relatively shallow 'quake, which usually means a shorter duration. It's those deep, subduction zone quakes that are the really bad ones... think Alaska's Good Friday quake. IIRC, that one lasted close to 5 minutes. Just by comparison, the '89 quake I was in lasted just 15 seconds.
A lot of things determine damage levels. Soil consistency, quake duration, direction and acceleration of the ground motion are just a few, not to mention type and quality of construction. The Japanese are well known for their strict earthquake-related building codes, but even they were surprised by the level of damage that occured in Kobe.
Also it seems to have been a relatively shallow 'quake, which usually means a shorter duration. It's those deep, subduction zone quakes that are the really bad ones... think Alaska's Good Friday quake. IIRC, that one lasted close to 5 minutes. Just by comparison, the '89 quake I was in lasted just 15 seconds.
It isn't, at least not over a subduction zone like Japan is. Deep would be about one hundred miles below the surface.
We're all waiting for that magnitude nine earthquake to hit Oregon and Washington though.
I can't seem to find the link now, but about a month ago there was a scientist in Japan who staked his reputation on the fact that he could predict a large earthquake that would hit Japan. At the time, he said it would be within 5 days, and that was wrong, but he apparently did know it was coming. Wierd.
Regards,
Gus
Regards,
Gus
It's a load of bull. Earthquakes occur so frequently here that anyone can say 'An earthquake will occur' and it will sound like they knew it was coming. The earthquake that did hit, which was more like a week after he said it, was a very very minor one compared to what he had 'predicted'. The Hokkaido one is unrelated to the one he 'predicted' because he had said it would happen in the Tokyo region, which is a good deal south to Hokkaido.
irmongoose
Japan and California have gone to great lengths to prepare for earthquakes. They have very strick building codes. Every once in a while they mention that an earthquake here in New England would be devastating. Experts claim that we are over due for one. We have no building codes that would protect in any way. In Boston there is a lot of back fill, so many of the buildings would be leveled!