Japan geologists had the “big one” all wrong

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For years, Japan’s scientists have been expecting a giant earthquake, pinpointing its location along a fault line southwest of Tokyo—but today’s disaster defied their forecasts. The country’s biggest earthquake occurred 231 miles northeast of the capital along a different fault, the Washington Post reports. Scientists had gone so far as to name the hypothetical southwestern quake the “Tokai Earthquake.”

They had also installed strain meters throughout that region, identified expected landslide locations on maps, and shared casualty estimates with officials. Seismic hazard maps assigned a more modest earthquake hazard to the region where the quake actually struck. Click to see photos of the devastation.

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About Post Author

Peter Lake

Peter Lake hails from the Midwest, but is now living in Germany. He is a professional writer who spent many years honing his craft at a well known newspaper. Peter originally sent an article to us through the citizen journalist program and decided to stay. We are glad he did.
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