Japan quake magnitude raised to 9.0 (NHK) - 地球科學討論

NHK的新聞

http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/13_21.html

Japan quake magnitude raised to 9.0

Japan's Meteorological Agency says the magnitude of Friday's earthquake that
hit the Pacific coast of northeastern Japan was 9.0 instead of 8.8 as earlier
announced.

The agency made the correction on Sunday morning after analyzing seismic
waves and other data. The magnitude is equivalent to that of the 2004
earthquake off Sumatra, Indonesia, which triggered massive tsunamis in the
Indian Ocean.

mThe agency says the focal zone of Friday's quake was about 500-kilometers
long and 200-kilometers wide. Destructive movement along the fault continued
for more than 5 minutes.

The Meteorological Agency says only 4 other quakes in the world have recorded
magnitudes of 9 or over.

The largest was the magnitude 9.5 quake that hit the Chilean coast in 1960,
killing more than 1,600. The quake also triggered tsunamis in Japan, leaving
142 people dead.

The 2004 quake off Sumatra registered a magnitude of 9.1. Subsequent giant
tsunamis killed more than 200,000 people.

Sunday, March 13, 2011 12:40 +0900 (JST)


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