Sunday 19 June 2016

Magnitude 4.5 Earthquake in Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan.

The Japan Meteorological Agency recorded a Magnitude 4.5 Earthquake at a depth of about 10 km, about 5 km to the west of the city of Uto in Kumamoto Prefecture on Kyūshū Island, slightly after 8.45 pm Japan Standard Time (slightly after 11.45 am GMT) on Saturday 18 June 2016. There are no reports of any damage or casualties associated with this event, but people have reported feeling it locally.

The approximate location of the 18 June 2016 Kumamoto Earthquake. Google Maps.

Japan has a complex tectonic environment with four plates underlying parts of the Islands; in addition to the Pacific in the east and the Othorsk in the North, there are the Philipine Plate to the south and the Eurasian Plate to the West. Kyūshū Island lies at the northeast end of the Ryukyu Island Arc, which sits on top of the boundary between the Eurasian and Philippine Plates. The Philippine Plate is being subducted beneath the Eurasian Plate, in the Ryukyo Trench, to the Southeast of the Islands. This is not a smooth process, with the two plates continuously sticking together then breaking apart as the pressure builds up, leading to frequent Earthquakes in the region.

 The movement of the Pacific and Philippine Plates beneath eastern Honshu. Laurent Jolivet/Institut des Sciences de la Terre d'Orléans/Sciences de la Terre et de l'Environnement.

Witness accounts of Earthquakes can help geologists to understand these events, and the structures that cause them. The international non-profit organization Earthquake Report is interested in hearing from people who may have felt this event; if you felt this quake then you can report it to Earthquake Report here.
 
 See also...
 
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http://sciencythoughts.blogspot.co.uk/2014/08/magnitude-61-earthquake-off-coast-of.htmlMagnitude 6.1 Earthquake off the coast of Kyūshū Island, Japan.                                  The Japan Meteorological Agency recorded a Magnitude 6.1 Earthquake at a 'very shallow' depth about 50 km off the east coast of Kyūshū Island, slightly before...
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