Earthquakes in Japan ( Week 3 )
Japan is one of the most seismic and volcanic zones in the world, Japan is frequently affected by earthquakes and volcanic disasters. About 1,500 earthquakes strike Japan every year, due to Japan being on and near 4 of the major tectonic plates being the Okhotsk Plate ( North American ), the Eurasia (Amurian), the Pacific, and the Philippine Sea Plate. Japan accounts for about 20% of global quakes of magnitude of 6.0 or greater, seismometers recording some kind of activity every five minutes on average.
In Japan, they have a group that called the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA), this agency implements it's services ( in compliance with the Act for Establishment of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) and the Meteorological Service Act) to prevent and mitigate natural disasters, safety of transportation, development and prosperity, and improvement of public welfare. JMA focuses its efforts on monitoring the environment and forecasting natural phenomena related to the atmosphere, oceans and the earth. JMA had a big focus on the prevention and mitigation of natural disasters, as Japan is prone to a lot of natural hazards such as typhoons, earthquakes, tsunamis, and heavy rain. JMA is responsible for issuing weather/tsunami warnings and advisories, they are required to provide reliable and timely information to residents and government agencies for the purpose of preventing and mitigating a natural disaster. They operate an earthquake observation network consists of about 200 seismographs and 600 seismic intensity meters and collects data from over 3,600 intensity meters that are managed by local governments and the NIED (Natural Research Institute for Earth Science and Disaster Prevention). Japan has one of the most advanced early warning systems in the world. Once there is any activity or notifications of an earthquake, TV's and radios and cell phones will get warnings so they have enough time to prepare for when the most severe shake occurs. Japan strictly enforces their building code which contains seismic isolation bearings used in many buildings to allow for horizontal movement during earthquakes which reduces structural stress. This feature along with reinforced concrete frames, increases the stability and safety of these structures. In taller buildings, giant pads made out of rubber and steel help absorb some of the shaking from earthquakes, as well as hydraulic shock absorbers. Japan also trains their citizens on how to respond to these earthquakes and recommend they have a survival kit in their homes.
Resources:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/01/03/japan-earthquake-reason-2024-tsunami/
Hi Jess, nice Blog and good information about earthquakes in Japan people should take all the recommendations to survive to these events.
ReplyDeleteHi Jess! I really enjoyed reading your blog. I am doing China for my country, so our countries are very close and deal with the same problems and plates, like the Pacific and Eurasian plates!
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ReplyDeleteHey Jess, great blog! Love the information you provided about Japan. My country doesn't usually deal with a lot of harsh earthquakes so it's interesting to learn about what it's like for a country that has opposite conditions.
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