Science Gov panel identifies 25 active underwater faults in Sea of Japan

[thomas]

A government panel has identified and mapped 25 active underwater fault lines in the Sea of Japan. These faults, capable of generating earthquakes of M7 or greater, extend from Hyogo Prefecture in the west to Niigata Prefecture in the east. The report, released in response to the January 2024 Noto Peninsula earthquake, aims to assist coastal communities in enhancing disaster preparedness. While the report details the location and length of these faults, assessments of the probability of earthquakes occurring within the next 30 years are expected to be released by mid-2025.

The report identified 25 active faults and fault zones with a length of 20 kilometres or more where quakes occurred repeatedly, and more tremors are expected to happen. Once quakes happen in the faults or fault zones, nearby coastal areas may log a seismic intensity of a lower 6, the third-highest level on the Japanese scale, or even higher and experience a tsunami of at least 1 meter. The report is based on exhaustive research into structures under the seabed using sound waves from a research ship. [...] In addition, part of the Toyama Trough western edge fault, with a length of some 61 km to the east of the Noto Peninsula northern coast fault zone, may have also moved. The scales of the quakes estimated at this time are based only on the lengths of the faults and do not consider the impact of recent quakes.

Government reveals 25 offshore active faults on country's Sea of Japan side

The active faults are located off the coast stretching from the northern area of Hyogo Prefecture to the Joetsu area of Niigata Prefecture.

www.japantimes.co.jp

Report (in Japanese):

日本海側の海域活断層の長期評価 | 地震本部

www.jishin.go.jp

 

[johnnyG]

This was front page in the paper, maybe day before yesterday(?).

Not particularly comforting...

 

[johnnyG]

Looking around on that map, the Fukui quake of 1948 does not seem to be on the map.

1948 Fukui earthquake - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org