Great Hanshin earthquake

Biographical Overview & Key Facts

Subject:

Great Hanshin earthquake

Role / Field:

Major 1995 earthquake in Japan's Kansai region, causing massive devastation.

Database Source:

2Day Chrono-Wiki & Wikipedia CC BY-SA 4.0

Origins & Early Life

The Kobe earthquake, also known as the Great Hanshin Earthquake (Japanese: 阪神淡路大震災, Hepburn: Hanshin-Awaji daishinsai), occurred on January 17, 1995, at 05:46:53 JST in the southern part of Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan, including the region of Hanshin. It measured 6.9 on the moment magnitude scale and had a maximum intensity of 7 on the JMA Seismic Intensity Scale (XI on the Modified Mercalli intensity scale). The tremors lasted for approximately 20 seconds. The hypocenter of the earthquake was located 17 km beneath its epicenter, on the northern end of Awaji Island, 20 km away from the center of the city of Kobe. At least 5,000 people died, around 4,600 of them from Kobe.

Career & Major Achievements

Kobe, with its population of 1.5 million, was the closest major city to the epicenter and hit by the strongest tremors. It was Japan's second deadliest earthquake in the 20th century after the 1923 Great Kantō earthquake, in which more than 105,000 people died. Most of the largest earthquakes in Japan are caused by subduction of the Philippine Sea plate or Pacific plate, with mechanisms that involve either energy released within the subducting plate or the accumulation and sudden release of stress in the overlying plate. Earthquakes of these types are especially frequent in the coastal regions of northeastern Japan. The Great Hanshin earthquake belonged to a third type, called an "inland shallow earthquake".

Enduring Legacy & Impact

Earthquakes of this type occur along active faults. Even at lower magnitudes, they can be very destructive because they often occur near populated areas and because their hypocenters are located less than 20 km below the surface. The Great Hanshin earthquake began north of the island of Awaji, which lies just south of Kobe. It spread toward the southwest along the Nojima Fault on Awaji and toward the northeast along the Suma and Suwayama faults, which run through the center of Kobe. Observations of deformations in these faults suggest that the area was subjected to east–west compression, which is consistent with previously known crustal movements.

Chronological Milestones & Life Events

1. 1923: 1923 Milestone — It was Japan's second deadliest earthquake in the 20th century after the 1923 Great Kantō earthquake, in which more than 105,000 people died.
2. 1995: 1995 Milestone — The Kobe earthquake, also known as the Great Hanshin Earthquake (Japanese: 阪神淡路大震災, Hepburn: Hanshin-Awaji daishinsai), occurred on January 17, 1995, at 05:46:53 JST in the southern part of Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan, including the region of Hanshin.

Historical Fact-Check Quiz: Great Hanshin earthquake

True or False: “The Great Hanshin Earthquake was primarily caused by the subduction of the Pacific Plate beneath the Eurasian Plate.”

Answer (FALSE ❌): It belonged to a third type, an 'inland shallow earthquake,' occurring along active faults rather than solely due to plate subduction mechanisms.

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Frequently Asked Questions about Great Hanshin earthquake