2 quakes in 2 days Kyushu

[musicisgood]

Yesterday night and this morning at 6:30 a 4.7 quake struck again. OK here, but the house sure rocked a bit.

 

[Lothor]

Sorry you're having a difficult time down there with the abnormally large number of aftershocks.

 

[musicisgood]

Sorry you're having a difficult time down there with the abnormally large number of aftershocks.

Thanks. Seems like now the aftershocks have stopped. I wonder if Mt. Aso will be acting up and maybe that is causing it.

 

[Mike Cash]

There has been a theory put forth that the presence or passage of hurricanes can lead to increased seismic activity. The idea is that the reduction in atmospheric pressure is enough to allow the earth beneath to rise up sufficient to jostle the various plates and seams and whatnot which are already under stress to go ahead and move.

History, Travel, Arts, Science, People, Places | Smithsonian

 

[musicisgood]

There has been a theory put forth that the presence or passage of hurricanes can lead to increased seismic activity. The idea is that the reduction in atmospheric pressure is enough to allow the earth beneath to rise up sufficient to jostle the various plates and seams and whatnot which are already under stress to go ahead and move.

History, Travel, Arts, Science, People, Places | Smithsonian

Actually that was my thinking also. 2 typhoons with heavy rain over an area that had a heat wave for the last 2 weeks surely would have played in impact. Also it is "spring tide" season. Hope I'm saying that right. Highest tides of the year.

 

[Lothor]

I'm sceptical that the hot weather and rain had any impact on an event that happened 10km underground according to the JMA website. Interestingly, the 1923 Kanto earthquake happened during a typhoon (which greatly increased the number of fatalities because of the spread of fire by the wind), which agrees with the theory mentioned by Mike.

 

[KyushuWoozy]

"The governor of Kagoshima requested Friday that Kyushu Electric Power Co. temporarily suspend two reactors at its Sendai nuclear plant in the southwestern prefecture. Satoshi Mitazono, who was elected on an antinuclear platform last month, made the request regarding the plant's Nos. 1 and 2 reactors -- two of only three reactors currently operating in the country -- at his meeting with the utility's president, Michiaki Uriu, at the prefectural government office in the afternoon. The former TV commentator has voiced his intention to call on the utility to re-examine safety measures for the two-reactor complex in Satsumasendai, citing increasing concerns among citizens about potential emergencies after huge earthquakes hit nearby prefectures in April."

Based on the Quaking in Kyushu this seems like a timely call by the governor.

 

[musicisgood]

"The governor of Kagoshima requested Friday that Kyushu Electric Power Co. temporarily suspend two reactors at its Sendai nuclear plant in the southwestern prefecture. Satoshi Mitazono, who was elected on an antinuclear platform last month, made the request regarding the plant's Nos. 1 and 2 reactors -- two of only three reactors currently operating in the country -- at his meeting with the utility's president, Michiaki Uriu, at the prefectural government office in the afternoon. The former TV commentator has voiced his intention to call on the utility to re-examine safety measures for the two-reactor complex in Satsumasendai, citing increasing concerns among citizens about potential emergencies after huge earthquakes hit nearby prefectures in April."

Based on the Quaking in Kyushu this seems like a timely call by the governor.

They should all be shut down here in Japan.

 

[Lothor]

And this from the Japan Times today.
Higher probability of mega-quakes seen during moon-sun high-tide alignment | The Japan Times

Apparently large quakes are more likely to occur during peak tides, i.e., when the gravitational force of the moon is strongest.