Magnets for Megaquakes | Discover Magazine

Over the past decade, Japan has experienced more than 27 major earthquakes with a magnitude of at least 6 on the country’s seismic intensity scale. While scientists and researchers have been scrambling to find out why the region stands on such shaky ground, a recent study offered a glimmer of hope.

University of Texas researchers believe they’ve found the culprit: a mountain-sized mass of igneous rock beneath the coast of southern Japan. The cluster, known as Kumano Pluton, was first discovered in 2006. However, the details have remained a mystery until now.

Recent results revealed that the block was acting as a magnet for earthquakes in the region. What does this discovery mean for the future of this vulnerable region? Let’s take a closer look.

What lies below

Located along the Pacific Ring of Fire, the beautiful island of Japan is as deadly as it sounds. Shaped like a tall horseshoe, the Ring of Fire spreads across the fringes of the Pacific Ocean and features some of the most active volcanoes and earthquakes in the world. The nature of the turbulent zone is largely due to its location along the plate boundaries. Basically, plate boundaries are the edges where two plates of rocks meet, called tectonic plates. When these rock plates move or move, it can lead to a very unstable environment that leads to volcanoes and earthquakes.

Japan’s position along the Ring of Fire has not been a secret to scientists and researchers. However, a certain area has emerged in southwestern Japan – the Nankai subduction zone. The region has experienced massive numbers of earthquakes compared to other regions, which has made the region of particular interest to researchers. When Kumano Pluton was discovered, it was found in the Nankai region through seismic imaging. Imaging indicated a mass of different density than the surrounding rock just off the coast of southern Japan – an image of a mountain-sized slab of hard rock in the depths of the Pacific Ocean.

Initially, the discovery did not lead to any definitive answers as to what could cause so many earthquakes in the area. Now, after two decades of analyzing seismic data from the Nankai subduction zone, scientists are able to fully visualize the destroyed structure through a complete, high-resolution model of the rock.

Preparing for the shaking ground

How does a mountain-size mass act as a magnet for giant earthquakes? The answer was revealed when a team of experts led by the University of Texas used a supercomputer to examine more than 20 years of data and located the Kumano Pluton 3 to 12 miles (4.8 to 19.3 kilometers) down the coast of southern Japan. The study suggests that the giant rock may have been redirecting tectonic energy to several points on its sides. This, along with new images of the Kumano Pluton revealing just how dense and solid the rock was, shows us how this massive structure was responsible for the mass destruction.

Between 1944 and 1946, huge earthquakes of more than 8 magnitude occurred along the sides of the Kumano Pluton. While earthquakes are common in this region, the threat of a massive massive earthquake still haunts the Nankai region.

Fortunately, geophysicist Shuichi Kodaira of the Japan Agency for Marine Earth Science and Technology in Japan points out that the discovery could aid in future earthquake prevention efforts. “We cannot predict exactly when, where, or how large future earthquakes will be, but by combining our model with observational data, we can begin to estimate operations in the near future,” Kodaira said in a press release. “This will provide very important data for the Japanese public to prepare for the next big earthquake.”

The discovery of this mountain-sized block shows how little we know about the plots of land causing such massive destruction. But with the right tools, we can stand a chance of stabilizing a shaky disaster.

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