The Kobe earthquake, also referred to as the Great Hanshin earthquake, was a 7.3-magnitude earthquake that rocked the Hyōgo Prefecture of Japan on the dawn of January 17, 1995. Such was its intensity that even the sensors on the other side of the world picked it. Basically, the Kobe earthquake was a 'shallow inland earthquake,' i.e., an earthquake which occurs along the active faults. In such earthquakes, the hypocenter is located less than 20 km below the surface and therefore, they can be highly destructive even at low magnitudes.
Facts and Figures: - It was the second-worst earthquake that the island nation experienced in more than 100 years. It lasted for about 20 seconds and resulted in 18 cm horizontal and 12 cm vertical movement of land - The Kobe earthquake was preceded by 4 foreshocks, (i) 06:26 PM, (ii) 06:49 PM, (iii) 06:55 PM, and (iv) 11:49 PM; of which the one that occurred at 06:26 PM was the largest at Mj 3.7. And then, it was followed by more than 50 aftershocks of Mj 4.0 or higher, within a week. - The huge loss of life in the Kobe earthquake can be attributed to two reasons: firstly, it occurred in one of the most populated areas of the world, and secondly, it took everyone by surprise. As mild earthquakes were common in this region, nobody was expecting an earthquake of this intensity. According to the final estimates, which came in 2005, 6,434 people were killed, while 300,000 were left homeless due to this natural disaster. Of these, around 4,571 were from the city of Kobe. - Around 200,000 buildings and 120 of the 150 quays (wharfs built parallel to the shoreline) were destroyed due to this quake. According to the estimates, one in every five buildings in the worst-affected area was totally destroyed. The traditional houses in the eastern part of the city, typically characterized by their wooden columns and heavy roofs, were reduced to dust. Nine in every ten deaths recorded in this region were caused as a result of these heavy roofs coming down during the quake, which was all the more tragic as these roofs were meant to provide safety during typhoons. - Wide-scale soil liquefaction―a phenomenon wherein saturated soil starts behaving like liquid―was also reported from the port area. - The earthquake gave a major jolt to the Japanese economy, with the damage amounting for an estimated $102.5 billion. A huge amount had to be spent on rebuilding the city. Approximately $6.8 billion had to be spent on rebuilding the port, while $3 billion was spent to put the freeway back into its place. The earthquake turned out to be an economic disaster for the citizens as well, as only 3 percent of the total property in Kobe was insured. - Efforts are being made to improve the accuracy of earthquake forecasting. The building codes have also been updated to build structures that can withstand such natural disasters. It's too early to say whether this will help, considering that nature has always been a step ahead of mankind in creation as well as destruction. The Hanshin Expressway, for instance, was built to withstand a quake measuring 8.1 on the Richter scale. Nature though, had some other plans for it. |
Take a look at the youtube videos below which give an account of the devastating effects that hit Kobe and can give you a picture of the extent of damage caused by a 7.3 earthquake with a more economically developed country who experience earthquakes on a regular basis.
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