A study showed that “swaying” may precede some great earthquakes

Credit: CC0 Public Domain

New research has shown that Japan’s land masses shifted from east to west to east again in the months leading up to the strongest earthquake in the country’s recorded history, a 9-magnitude earthquake in 2011 that killed more than 15,500 people.

These movements, which researchers call “wobbling”, may have the potential to alert seismologists to a greater risk of major earthquakes in the subduction zone. These devastating events occur as one of the Earth’s tectonic plates slides beneath another. This jam molestation reaches or connects the ground, until the jam tears or eventually breaks and causes an earthquake.

The results are published today (30 April) in the journal Nature.

“What happened in Japan was a massive but very slow bobbing – something never before seen,” said Michael Beavis, co-author of the paper and professor of earth sciences at Ohio State University.

“But are all giant earthquakes preceded by oscillators of this type? We do not know because we do not have enough data. This is another thing to watch when assessing seismic hazards in subduction areas such as those in Japan, Sumatra, Andes and Alaska.”

Beavis said that the swaying would have become almost imperceptible for people standing on the island, the equivalent of only a few millimeters a month over a period of five to seven months. But the movement was evident in the data recorded by more than 1,000 GPS stations spread across Japan, in the months leading up to the Tohoku Aoki earthquake on March 11.

The research team, which included scientists from Germany, Chile, and the United States, analyzed that data and experienced a reverse shift in the Earth – about 4 to 8 millimeters east, then to the west, then to the east. These movements were noticeably different from the fixed and cyclic transformations that the Earth’s masses constantly make.

“The world is divided into plates that always move one way or another,” Beavis said. “The movement is not unusual. This mode of movement is unusual.”

Beavis said the swaying could indicate that in the months before the earthquake, the plate under the Philippine sea started with something called a “slow slipping event”, which is the relatively gentle and “silent” fluctuation of two adjacent ocean pages beneath Japan, which eventually led to a great roar Turning west and down he led the Pacific slab plate and its plates beneath Japan, generating powerful seismic waves that shook the entire country.

The 2011 earthquake caused widespread damage throughout Japan. It has permanently diverted large portions of Japan’s main Honshu Island, several meters to the east. Tsunami waves launched more than 40 meters high. More than 450,000 people lost their homes. Many nuclear reactors melted at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, resulting in a continuous flow of toxic radioactive material into the atmosphere and forcing thousands of people close to flee their homes. It was the worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl.

Researchers studying earthquakes and plate tectonics attempt to determine the approximate size of subsequent large earthquakes and to predict where and when they will occur. When is “more difficult” than “where.”

But it will not be possible to use the results of this study to predict earthquakes in some subduction areas around the world because they do not have the required GPS systems, said Jonathan Bedford, lead author of this study and researcher at the GFZ German Research Center for Earth Sciences.

In 2011, Japan had one of the largest and most powerful GPS surveillance systems in the world. This system provided ample data, and allowed the research team to determine the swing of the Earth’s mass created in the months before the earthquake.

Other countries, including Chile and Sumatra, struck by devastating earthquakes and tsunamis in 2010 and 2004, respectively, had less comprehensive systems at the time of these disasters.

Researchers analyzed similar data from the 2010 Chile earthquake, and found evidence of a similar wobble. Bedford said the data “is only good enough to capture the signal”.

“We really need to monitor all major subduction areas with high-density GPS networks as soon as possible,” he said.

Sediments may control the site and magnitude of large earthquakes

more information:
A thousand-kilometer fluctuation over months before sunken earthquakes, Nature (2020). Doi: 10.1038 / s41586-020-2212-1, https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-020-2212-1

Introduction of
Ohio State University

the quote:
Wobble Study Shows Some Great Earthquakes, (2020, April 29)
Retrieved April 29, 2020
From https://phys.org/news/2020-04-great-earthquakes.html

This document is subject to copyright. Aside from any fair treatment for the purpose of private study or research, no
The part can be copied without written permission. The content is provided for informational purposes only.

What Are The Main Benefits Of Comparing Car Insurance Quotes Online

LOS ANGELES, CA / ACCESSWIRE / June 24, 2020, / Compare-autoinsurance.Org has launched a new blog post that presents the main benefits of comparing multiple car insurance quotes. For more info and free online quotes, please visit https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/the-advantages-of-comparing-prices-with-car-insurance-quotes-online/ The modern society has numerous technological advantages. One important advantage is the speed at which information is sent and received. With the help of the internet, the shopping habits of many persons have drastically changed. The car insurance industry hasn't remained untouched by these changes. On the internet, drivers can compare insurance prices and find out which sellers have the best offers. View photos The advantages of comparing online car insurance quotes are the following: Online quotes can be obtained from anywhere and at any time. Unlike physical insurance agencies, websites don't have a specific schedule and they are available at any time. Drivers that have busy working schedules, can compare quotes from anywhere and at any time, even at midnight. Multiple choices. Almost all insurance providers, no matter if they are well-known brands or just local insurers, have an online presence. Online quotes will allow policyholders the chance to discover multiple insurance companies and check their prices. Drivers are no longer required to get quotes from just a few known insurance companies. Also, local and regional insurers can provide lower insurance rates for the same services. Accurate insurance estimates. Online quotes can only be accurate if the customers provide accurate and real info about their car models and driving history. Lying about past driving incidents can make the price estimates to be lower, but when dealing with an insurance company lying to them is useless. Usually, insurance companies will do research about a potential customer before granting him coverage. Online quotes can be sorted easily. Although drivers are recommended to not choose a policy just based on its price, drivers can easily sort quotes by insurance price. Using brokerage websites will allow drivers to get quotes from multiple insurers, thus making the comparison faster and easier. For additional info, money-saving tips, and free car insurance quotes, visit https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/ Compare-autoinsurance.Org is an online provider of life, home, health, and auto insurance quotes. This website is unique because it does not simply stick to one kind of insurance provider, but brings the clients the best deals from many different online insurance carriers. In this way, clients have access to offers from multiple carriers all in one place: this website. On this site, customers have access to quotes for insurance plans from various agencies, such as local or nationwide agencies, brand names insurance companies, etc. "Online quotes can easily help drivers obtain better car insurance deals. All they have to do is to complete an online form with accurate and real info, then compare prices", said Russell Rabichev, Marketing Director of Internet Marketing Company. CONTACT: Company Name: Internet Marketing CompanyPerson for contact Name: Gurgu CPhone Number: (818) 359-3898Email: [email protected]: https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/ SOURCE: Compare-autoinsurance.Org View source version on accesswire.Com:https://www.Accesswire.Com/595055/What-Are-The-Main-Benefits-Of-Comparing-Car-Insurance-Quotes-Online View photos