On Aug. 8, 2024, an M 7.1 level earthquake struck Nichinan, Japan. Reportedly, meteorologists believed that more natural disasters would follow and subsequently issued a “temporary tsunami advisory.” The Japan Meteorological Agency also issued a warning that another high-level earthquake in the Pacific was expected to occur in a week.
According to USGS, the earthquake that occurred in Nichinan, Japan was “due to thrust faulting at shallow depth on or near the subduction zone interface between the Philippine sea plate and the Eurasian plate.” USGS also explained that the size of the “thrust faulting events” that took place in Japan was around “50 km x 20 km in size.”
There are many levels of earthquakes that occur yearly. An earthquake the size of the one that hit Nichinan, Japan is described as a “major earthquake” that causes “serious damage.” These more severely felt earthquakes reportedly only occur 10 to 15 times a year and have occurred in Japan before.
According to CNN, this is the first time in history that a national warning of this proportion was issued in Japan — which consequently disrupted daily operations such as train transportation and travel.
Reportedly, Fumio Kishida, Japan’s current prime minister, decided to not go on his trip abroad because of the warning. Kishida was scheduled to hold a summit in Astana, Kazakhstan and meet with world leaders from countries such as Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan that Friday. He was also supposed to have a meeting on Monday in Ulaanbaatar with Ukhnaagiin Khürelsükh, the current president of Mongolia.
Currently, things have returned to normal, as the majority of the government advisory warnings are no longer in effect. According to reports in Japan, no significant destruction occurred in the aftermath. However, Japan remains on the alert for more earthquakes.
Rachel is working towards a BA with a concentration in English and Theatre. She has been employed at The Cascade since Fall 2021 as a Staff Writer and a Jr. News Editor. Currently, she is the sectional News Editor and enjoys meeting and interviewing people as well as taking long walks in nature. Rachel also likes to stay up to date on the latest trends and informs students through her fashion column entitled Campus Fashion.
