Earthquakes in Japan

[Yan]

Hello,

I would like to know if there's a lot of earthquakes in Japan. If yes, is it dangerous and how do you live it.

[Uncle Frank]

All the building there are built on marbles,springs and rubber so they just bounce and roll a bit till the quakes over. Type in "earthquake" in SEARCH up above and read a lot of other posts about earthqakes.

Uncle Frank

:blush:

[Goldiegirl]

Go to the JMA (Japanese Meteorological Society) website. Click on earthquake information and a map of Japan pops up and you can see where the most recent earthquake happened. They are posted within a minute or so after the quake. You can see how many and where they are per day. It's quite eye opening. I am terrified of earthquakes there, and I have no idea how people live there without being worried every day!

here's the site: http://www.jma.go.jp/jma/indexe.html

[Yan]

If you're living in a residential tower, you don't have to worry about earthquakes because usually the tower's concepted for a ultimate protection against earthquakes. A earthquake is like a wave. The tower usually follows the same mouvments of the earthquakes' waves and it cannot collapse.

PS: Thank you for that website. The last earthquake was 1 on the Richter scale...

[Goldiegirl]

Assuming that the tower was built properly, and inspected etc. In a big earthquake, there's going to be a lot of destruction and damage. Buildings are built for averages, not specifically for "the big one"....

[Yan]

Yes but it doesn't arrive everyday.

[Goldiegirl]

Of course not, but it's not about "if" it's about when....and there will be a when, and I don't want to be there for that!

[Yan]

Yes but seismologues check seismometers and they can mesure and record seismic waves. You will be prevent before the earthquake and you have the time to move somewhere else before getting killed or seriousely injured.

[Goldiegirl]

Excuse me....? I don't think so. Good luck.

[Glenski]

Does Japan have a lot of earthquakes?
Yes.

Are they dangerous?
Only the bigger ones, and if you live in poor housing.

How do you live in it[sic]?
You can't do much other than prepare for the worst. Know what to do when one hits. The whole archipelago is seismically active.

[epigene]

A national early warning system has been developed and took effect this spring.

Earthquake Early-Warning System (http://www.technologyreview.com/Infotech/20772/)

However, the system has not worked effectively yet in two instances (earthquakes) since it has started up, with warning issued "after" the quake. Early warning doesn't work for people who live close to the epicenter.

There's a lot to be done to improve the system's accuracy! :blush:

[Goldiegirl]

Exactly, you are warned once a quake has occurred, you aren't warned with enough advance to do anything, even if you aren't close to the epicenter. The amount of time is so small that it's not really enough. That being said, something is better than nothing. :)

[Yan]

Anyway, I like Japan even if a earthquake can occure at anytime.

[Emoni]

My friend worked with one of the companies that was the first to distribute the public version of the earthquake warning system. I think it is a wonderful idea that just might give you those few seconds to get under something and save your life.

Earthquakes happen, but as the above posters have stated, just hope you aren't in Japan when the big one hits...

[Hiroyuki Nagashima]

There was a large-scale earthquake today in Japanese Tohoku region.

June 14, 2008
Japan Standard Time 8:43 a.m.
Scale of an earthquake is magnitude 7.2
http://www.jma.go.jp/en/quake/14084700384.html

[Yan]

They talked about it on TV. There was two deaths. The same thing would happen in China and there would be hundreeds of deaths. Here in Japan, earthquakes are less dangerous than in China. Anyway, I would be there and I wouldn't have feared this earthquake.

[RolandtheHeadless]

I live in a high earthquake zone which, in March 1964, experienced the second largest earthquake (9.2 on the Richter scale), and second largest resulting tsunami, ever recorded. We have several small earthquakes a year. I don't get worried until the bookshelves start falling over.

Japan doesn't worry me.