On Earthquakes in Japan

A series of strong earthquakes took place in Japan. The most powerful quake measured 6.1 struck off the coast of East Honshu at a distance of 100km from Fukushima on 23 November. The probability of such an event of 22-23.11 ±2 days was reported on 18.11.2011. A potential 6.0 ±0.2 magnitude was predicted by cloudy seismotectonic indicators detected in space images dated 22-23 November (Annex 1).

On 17 and 21 November the earthquakes 4.8 and 4.9 in magnitude (according to the Japanese data the magnitude was 5.4) struck near the East Coast of Honshu. Both events were registered within the nuclear power plants region and this situation aroused a great concern among geophysicists. There are located 15 units of nuclear power plant in this region of Japan (Annex 2). It is not surprising, then, that on 20 November there were conducted large-scale nuclear disaster exercises in the Genkai Nuclear Power Plant in Saga and Nagasaki Prefectures. More than 30.000 inhabitants of the Kyushu Island participated in those exercises. And on 21 November 2011 there occurred an earthquake in the region of Shimane Nuclear Power Plant. Fortunately, it did not result in injuries, damages or any failures in the nuclear plant operation. Note that a Japanese seismologist Katsuhiko Ishibashi having a 20-year experience in EQ prediction and predicted an earthquake in Kobe (17.01.1995), also comes to a conclusion on the probability of occurring an accident in Tsuruga Nuclear Power Plant.

The threat of powerful EQ still exists in Japan till 15 December as evidenced by anomalies in geophysical sign categories (Annex 3).

Annex 1 (pdf, 245 Kb)

Annex 2 (pdf, 95 Kb)

Annex 3 (pdf, 525 Kb)

URL документа: http://www.ntsomz.ru/projects/earthquake/doda_news241111e