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from japan The weather agency has issued earthquake warningHighest level of earthquake warning, a few hours later Earthquake of 7.5 magnitude occurred in the country,
residents living near Pacific Coast Officials have been requested be alert Prepare evacuation plans throughout the coming week and if they need to flee their homes.
At least 33 people were injured in Monday night’s earthquake, with waves as high as 70 cm seen in several coastal communities.
Follow the latest updates on the earthquake in Japan Here,
Tsunami warnings have been lifted from Monday’s earthquake, but a larger earthquake would again raise the risk of a large and destructive tsunami off Japan’s Pacific coast, officials warned.
Tuesday’s notice marks the first time a top-level alert has been issued since the warning system began operating in 2022.
What is a megaquake?
According to the Earthquake Research Promotion Headquarters of Japan, a megaquake, also known as a megathrust earthquake, is an extremely powerful earthquake with a magnitude above 8.0 on the Richter scale.
They can result from “plate subduction”, when one tectonic plate slides beneath another and sinks into the Earth’s mantle.
The epicenter of a large earthquake can be 100 by 100 km across, causing damage over a large area. The organization says that if it occurs in a shallow area below sea level, it will “almost always generate a large tsunami”.
Japan has never issued a warning of the most serious type of earthquake since it launched its early warning system in 2022, which was brought in to detect the possibility of a massive earthquake hitting the country.
Months ago, the Cabinet Office issued a major update to its long-feared “megaquake” scenario, estimating that any major offshore eruption could kill about 300,000 people and cause damage equivalent to half the country’s GDP.
But Morikubo Tsukasa, director of disaster management at the Cabinet Office, told reporters that global earthquake data indicates the possibility, not the prediction, of a major quake.
Japan’s deadliest earthquake on record was in the Kanto region in 1923. The megathrust earthquake measured 8.0 on the Richter scale and was estimated to have killed 105,000 to 140,000 people.
Why is Japan unsafe?
Japan lies along the infamous ‘Pacific Ring of Fire’, where four tectonic plates – the Pacific, North American, Eurasian and Filipino – converge in an area that is bustling with tectonic activity.
The continuous shifting of these plates causes frequent earthquakes in the country, some of which can have a devastating impact on the country.
However, Japan is relatively strong when it faces high-intensity earthquakes compared to other countries such as Turkey and Syria, which caused massive destruction and huge loss of life and property.
The country is considered a world leader in earthquake preparedness, with flexible building structures adhering to strict regulations, as well as the practice of regular earthquake drills in schools.
The current warning is over the Japan Trench and Chishima Trench, which cover coastal areas from Hokkaido to Chiba Prefecture.
Are megaquakes common in Japan?
The most notable recent example of a megaearthquake is the 2011 Tohoku Pacific Ocean earthquake, which had a magnitude of 9.0–9.1 on the Richter scale.
Known in Japan as the Great East Japan Earthquake, it lasted about six minutes and caused a massive tsunami. It was the most powerful earthquake ever recorded in Japan, and the fourth most powerful earthquake ever recorded in the world.
The 2011 disaster killed about 20,000 people, most of whom were believed to be the result of massive tsunami waves that hit the east coast.
Other major earthquakes in Japan in the 20th and 21st centuries include 1933, 1944, 1946, 1952, and 2003.