Natural disasters in Japan

Japan is one of the countries most affected by natural disasters. Two out of the five most expensive natural disasters in recent history have occurred in Japan, costing $181 billion in the years 2011 and 1995 only. Japan has also been the site of some of the 10 worst natural disasters of the 21st century. The types of natural disasters in Japan include tsunamis, floods, typhoons, earthquakes, cyclone s and volcanic eruptions. The country has gone through many years of natural disasters, affecting its economy, development, and social life.

Volcanic eruptions

A
Volcano at Sakura-jima
Location Last eruption
Mount Meakan, Hokkaido
2008
Mount Usu, Hokkaido
2001
Hokkaido Koma-ga-take, Hokkaido
2000
Mount Asama, Honshu
2009
Mount Hakkoda, Honshu
1997
Mount Niigatayake, Honshu
1998
Mount Yake, Honshu
1995
Oshima, Izu Islands
1990
Tori-shima, Izu Islands
2002
Miyake-jima, Izu Islands
2010
Mount Aso, Kyushu
2004
Mount Kuju, Kyushu
1996
Mount Sakura-jima, Kyushu
2012
Shinmoe-dake, Kyushu
2011
Mount Unzen, Kyushu
1996
Kikai Caldera, Osumi Islands
2004
Suwanose-jima, Ryukyu Islands
2012
Fukutoku-Okanoba, Bonin Islands
2010
Iwo Jima
1997
Mount Oyama, Miyake-jima
2005

Earthquakes

Japan has had a long history of earthquake catastrophe and seismic activity. Earthquakes are the vibrations caused by rocks breaking under stress. The underground surface along which the rock breaks and moves is called a fault plane. Over time, stresses build beneath the earth’s surface. Occasionally, stress is released resulting in the sudden, and sometime disastrous shaking we call an earthquake. Earthquakes can cause shaking that could last seconds or minutes. Besides that, there may be several earthquakes over a period ranging from hours to weeks called aftershocks, and the magnitude of the following tremors will decrease with time. It is important to know the earthquake magnitude because it can be the clue if there will be any aftershocks. Because of that, magnitude can be measured on the Richter scale, invented by Charles F. Richter in 1934. The Richter magnitude is calculated from the amplitude of the largest seismic wave recorded for the earthquake. In the past twenty years, the most severe earthquake that occurred was in 2011 off the coast of Tohoku.

Japan earthquake
A
After an earthquake

List of earthquakes in Japan

Location Date Estimated deaths
Hokkaido earthquake 1993, 12 July
202
Offshore Sanriku earthquake 1994, 28 December
3
Kobe earthquake 1995, 17 January
6,434
Ryukyu Islands earthquake 1998, 4 May
0
Geiyo earthquake 2001, 24 March
2
Hokkaido earthquake 2003, 25 September
1
Chuetsu earthquake 2004, 23 October
40
Fukuoka earthquake 2005, 20 March
1
Miyagi earthquake 2005, 16 August
0
Kuril Islands earthquake 2006, 15 November
0
Kuril Islands earthquake 2007, 13 January
0
Noto earthquake 2007, 25 March
1
Chuetsu Offshore earthquake 2007, 16 July
11
Iwate-Miyagi Nairiku earthquake 2008, 14 June
12
Izu Islands earthquake 2009, 9 August
0
Shizuoka earthquake 2009, 11 August
1
Ryukyu Islands earthquake 2010, 26 February
1
Bonin Islands earthquake 2010, 21 December
0
Tohoku earthquake 2011, 11 March
15,881
Miyagi earthquake aftershock 2011, 7 April
4
Fukushima earthquake 2011, 11 April
6
Fukushima earthquake aftershock 2011, 10 July
0
Izu Islands earthquake 2012, 1 January
0
Kamaishi earthquake 2012, 7 December
0
Chiba earthquake 2012, 14 March
0

Mudslides

A mudslide or mudflow occurs when rocks, sand and earth are loosened and fall from hills and mountains due to earthquake, rain or snow. In Japan, over two-thirds of the land is mountainous and therefore prone to mudslides.[1]

Major mudslide events

Mount Ontake

On September 14, 1984, the Otaki earthquake (magnitude 6.8) in Nagano Prefecture, Japan, caused a major mudslide on the south face of Mount Ontake, which reached speeds of 80~100 km/h.[2] Heavy rain over several days prior to the quake contributed to causing the mudslide, known as “Ontake Kuzure,” which took the lives of 29 people. After the disaster, barriers against mudslide were erected in nine locations at the foot of Mt. Ontake.[3]

Wakayama, Nara

In September 2011, typhoon No. 12, which formed and was named on August 25, made landfall over Japan, bringing heavy rain to the mountainous Kii Peninsula, and causing a mudslide, called “Shinsohokai,” in Wakayama and Nara. "Shinsohokai" means that not only soil collapses, but also bedrock. In this case, houses were covered with earth and sand from the mudslide and there were many injured and killed.[4]

Hiroshima

In June 2010, Hiroshima experienced heavy rains which caused severe damage, including mudslides and river floods; Shōbara had 64 mm rain in an hour and Hiroshima had 30–50 mm on June 12, 20-40mm on the 13th and 20-50mm on the 14th. Five people were killed and six injured; 1,787 houses were destroyed.[5]

Tsunamis

11 March 2011 - the aftermath of the 9.0 earthquake

See also

References

  1. "Japan Institute of Country-ology and Engineering". www.jice.or.jp. JICE. 2007. Retrieved 2015-05-25.
  2. "Naganoken Seibu Jishin (The earthquake which hit Nagano prefecture)". www.jma-net.go.jp. Matsuhiro Seismological Observatory. Retrieved 2015-05-25.
  3. "Naganoken Seibu Jishin (The earthquake which hit Nagano prefecture)". Sabo Gakkaishi. 48 (4): 66–68. 1995. doi:10.11475/sabo1973.48.4_66.
  4. "Kii Peninsula mudslide flooding". www.asahi.com. Asahi Sinbun DIGITAL. Retrieved 2015-05-25.
  5. "Hiroshima Crisis-Management Department Crisis-Management Division". BOUSAI. Retrieved 2015-05-25.

External links

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