Strong earthquake - Eastern Honshu, Japan on September 16, 2014 - at least 8 injured

September 16, 2014 by

This article has also been written by Carlos Robles and Jens Skapski

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- Update 16:54 UTC: Officials confirm at least 8 injuries.

- 2 people in Gunma prefecture were injured. One hospital in Sano (Tochigi Prefecture) was damaged.

- At least 3 people were injured (2 in Ota, 1 in Kiryu City). There has been widespread minor damage.

- A landslide has been reported from Tochigi Prefecture with 1 car buried (without anyone in there). This was reported from Maebashi City. This is to be expected given the heavy rain Japan has experienced over the past week (250 houses have been flooded and around 900,000 people affected).

- A picture of the damage from Japan (other pictures around are also with minor non-structural damage currently):-

よーこ ‏@A_Soak_Young

よーこ
‏@A_Soak_Young

- 2 people have been injured in Gunma prefecture. A man in his 50s from Kiryu Kawauchi and a woman in an office in Ota City.

- Japanese wooden houses will be most at risk, as well as minor damage or injuries from falling items from this event. Generally, Japan has invested a lot in earthquake resistant structures in the last 20 years since Kobe, and there will be hopefully very little damage.

- Tochigi-Nambu (Southern), Gumma-Nambu (Southern) and Saitama Hokubu (Northern) are the potential places where damage may have occurred. We await news from FDMA.

- The update of the death toll from the 2011 earthquake was the last post from FDMA:- Unfortunately 19,074 deaths and 2,633 missing including indirect deaths was the final toll from this event (FDMA Report 150).

- All nuclear facilities were successfully shut down and operated during the earthquake with no problems there.

- The bullet train shutdown system worked well - "JR East Tohoku Shinkansen has suspended the operation in the vertical line between the Koriyama Station of Tokyo, Fukushima Prefecture, under the influence of the earthquake"

- Damaging intensities have been experienced in Tochigi Prefecture. It struck quite close to Tokyo and will have been well felt across central Tokyo.

NHK intensity map

NHK intensity map

- A strong earthquake has occurred in Japan. It has reached intensity 5- which is approximately 6-7 on a MMI scale.

16-09-2014 5-45-02 AM16-09-2014 5-36-51 AM

Most important Earthquake Data:

Magnitude : 5.6 JMA

Local Time (conversion only below land) : 2014-09-16 12:28:32

GMT/UTC Time : 2014-09-16 03:28:32

Depth (Hypocenter) : 55 km

Depth and Magnitude updates in the list below.

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Refresh this list
SRC Location UTC Date/time M D INFO
GEOFON Eastern Honshu, Japan Sep 16 03:28 5.7 55 MAP I Felt It INFO
  • Chuo - Tremeu muito, mas n houve danos. Tocou o alerta na cidade mas para falar q nao tem possibilidade de acontecer nada grave.
  • Tokyo - no earthquake alarm sounded. moderate shaking, enough to need to stabilize the bookshelf. lasted longer...maybe 30 to 40 seconds?
  • Tokyo - Le building a beaucoup bougé et l'on entendait les grincements de la structure à l'intérieur des murs.
  • Tokyo - Réveil brutal par une forte secousse et un grondement sourd.
  • Tokyo - No damage
  • Tokyo - no property damage
  • Tokyo - Le bâtiment a beaucoup tremblé. Aucun dégât ni chute d'objet.
  • Tokyo - Pas de dommages mais une très grosse frayeur. La baie vitrée de l'appartement a bougé très violemment.
  • Maebashi - The earthquake strongly shook the school building, and we were able to evacuate all the students safely. We haven't felt an earthquake that strong in this area since the 2011 quake.
  • Tsukuba - Strong shaking felt, building evacuated. No injuries, items fell from shelves and walls. Strongest since 3/11 no panic.
  • Mito - Felt about at a shindo 4, lasted quite a long time. At least a minute, started slowly but came on strong after about 15 seconds.
  • Tokyo - I felt as if a bomb had imploded on the floor. It was quick, but intense.
  • Tokyo - Sitting on 9th floor, building swaying from side to side
    		•
    USGS Iwai, Japan Sep 16 03:28 5.6 53 MAP
    EMSC Eastern Honshu, Japan Sep 16 03:28 5.6 60 MAP

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    MMI II (Very weak shaking) ?
    People :
    Felt by persons at rest, on upper floors or favorably placed.
    MMI III (Weak shaking) ?
    People :
    Felt indoors; hanging objects may swing, vibration similar to passing of light trucks, duration may be estimated, may not be recognized as an earthquake.
    MMI IV (Light shaking) ?
    People :
    Generally noticed indoors but not outside. Light sleepers may be awakened. Vibration may be likened to the passing of heavy traffic, or to the jolt of a heavy object falling or striking the building.
    Fittings :
    Doors and windows rattle. Glassware and crockery rattle. Liquids in open vessels may be slightly disturbed. Standing motorcars may rock.
    Structures :
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    MMI V (Moderate shaking) ?
    People :
    Generally felt outside, and by almost everyone indoors. Most sleepers awakened. A few people alarmed.
    Fittings :
    Small unstable objects are displaced or upset. Some glassware and crockery may be broken. Hanging pictures knock against the wall. Open doors may swing. Cupboard doors secured by magnetic catches may open. Pendulum clocks stop, start, or change rate.
    Structures :
    Some large display windows cracked. A few earthenware toilet fixtures cracked.
    MMI VI (Strong shaking) ?
    People Felt by all. People and animals alarmed. Many run outside. Difficulty experienced in walking steadily.
    Fittings :
    Objects fall from shelves. Pictures fall from walls. Some furniture moved on smooth floors, some unsecured free-standing fireplaces moved. Glassware and crockery broken. Very unstable furniture overturned. Small church and school bells ring. Appliances move on bench or table tops. Filing cabinets or "easy glide" drawers may open (or shut).
    Structures :
    Slight damage to buildings with low standard. Some stucco or cement plaster falls. Large display windows broken. Damage to a few weak domestic chimneys, some may fall.
    Environment :
    Trees and bushes shake, or are heard to rustle. Loose material may be dislodged from sloping ground, e.g. existing slides, talus slopes, shingle slides.
    MMI VII (Very strong shaking) ?
    People
    General alarm. Difficulty experienced in standing. Noticed by motorcar drivers who may stop.
    Fittings :
    Large bells ring. Furniture moves on smooth floors, may move on carpeted floors. Substantial damage to fragile contents of buildings.
    Structures :
    Unreinforced stone and brick walls cracked. Low standard buildings cracked with some minor masonry falls. A few instances of damage to buildings of ordinary workmanship. Unbraced parapets, unbraced brick gables, and architectural ornaments fall. Roofing tiles, especially ridge tiles may be dislodged. Many unreinforced domestic chimneys damaged, often falling from roof-line. Water tanks Type I burst. A few instances of damage to brick veneers and plaster or cement-based linings. Unrestrained water cylinders (hot-water cylinders) may move and leak. Some common windows cracked. Suspended ceilings damaged.
    Environment :
    Water made turbid by stirred up mud. Small slides such as falls of sand and gravel banks, and small rock-falls from steep slopes and cuttings. Instances of settlement of unconsolidated or wet, or weak soils. Some fine cracks appear in sloping ground. A few instances of liquefaction (i.e. small water and sand ejections).
    MMI VIII (Severe shaking) ?
    People Alarm may approach panic. Steering of motorcars greatly affected. Structures : Low standard buildings heavily damaged, some collapse. ordinary workmanship buildings damaged, some with partial collapse. Reinforced masonry or concrete buildings damaged in some cases. A few instances of damage to buildings and bridges designed and built to resist earthquakes. Monuments and pre-1976 elevated tanks and factory stacks twisted or brought down. Some pre-1965 infill masonry panels damaged. A few post-1980 brick veneers damaged. Decayed timber piles of houses damaged. Houses not secured to foundations may move. Most unreinforced domestic chimneys damaged, some below roof-line, many brought down. Environment : Cracks appear on steep slopes and in wet ground. Small to moderate slides in roadside cuttings and unsupported excavations. Small water and sand ejections and localized lateral spreading adjacent to streams, canals, lakes, etc.
    MMI IX (Violent shaking) ?
    Structures Many low standard buildings destroyed. Ordinary workmanship buildings heavily damaged, some collapse. Reinforced masonry or concrete buildings damaged, some with partial collapse. Buildings and bridges designed and built to resist earthquakes damaged in some cases, some with flexible frames seriously damaged. Damage or permanent distortion to some buildings and bridges, designed and built to normal use standards. Houses not secured to foundations shifted off. Brick veneers fall and expose frames. Environment : Cracking of ground conspicuous. Landsliding general on steep slopes. Liquefaction effects intensified and more widespread, with large lateral spreading and flow sliding adjacent to streams, canals, lakes, etc.
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