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Japan: Country fears series of intense earthquakes
Japan fears the arrival of an earthquake much more devastating than the one that hit the archipelago on Thursday, August 8, with a magnitude of 7.1. Specialists fear much more significant tremors. The Prime Minister has cancelled his trips abroad.
(France Info)
Japan fears the arrival of an earthquake much more devastating than the one that hit the archipelago on Thursday, August 8, with a magnitude of 7.1. Specialists fear much more significant tremors. The Prime Minister has cancelled his trips abroad.
On Thursday, August 8, the earth shook in Japan off the southern island of Kyushu. The 7.1-magnitude quake could be the first in a series of more intense earthquakes, called mega-quakes. Experts say it will happen sooner or later.The risk is very low and the warning does not change anything. But at the same time, the risk is not zero. (…) What we want to know is whether there will be an earthquake in our lifetime, and unfortunately, science cannot answer this question.” explains Robert Geller, professor of seismology at the University of Tokyo.
If the hypothesis is confirmed, 300,000 people will be threatened and this, despite the implementation of earthquake-resistant building standards. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has cancelled a planned trip to Central Asia. In March 2011, a 9.0 magnitude mega-earthquake, followed by a devastating tsunami, killed more than 20,000 people.
