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I was in Saitama Prefecture (next to Tokyo) at the time of the earthquake.
While quite long and scary (as all earthquakes are) it was not nearly powerful enough to do damage, due to it's distance away from land.
This gets at the problem of media reporting.
In the US it was a "7.1 magnitude earthquake near Tokyo!". In Japan, it was a 4 (on their scale that is based on the amount of damage potential) in Tokyo and a 3 in Saitama.
In other words, it was not sensationalized in Japan, but in the US media it is made in to a big news story by just using the big numbers.
I wish this didn't happen as it scares my family back home unnecessarily.
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http://www.cnn.com/asia
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Possible reasons for no damage from this magnitude of a quake.
- 200 miles south-southwest of Tokyo
The quake happended in the ocean, away from land mass and structures
- Epicenter: 188 miles deep
With an epicenter that deep, there was probably some damage to the ocean floor, but it wasn't close enough to the top of the ocean floor to cause a tsunami
Damage takes some time to reveal itself though and get reported. If its small, some damage won't get reported at all. (ie: a few new cracks in the sidewalk)
Source(s):
www.foxnews.com
Tags: japan, earthquake, damage
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The seismic scale used in Japan is also different than the one used in the US.
I have included links to several informative sites.
http://www.jma.go.jp/en/quake/20090809202521391-091956.html
http://www.jma.go.jp/jma/en/Activities/intsummary.pdf
News:
http://www.asahi.com/english/Herald-asahi/TKY200908100046.html
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/A/AS_JAPAN_EARTHQUAKE_ASOL-?SITE=YOMIURI&SECTION=HOSTED_ASIA&TEMPLATE=ap_national.html
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Answered Question
M$2.10
August 09, 2009 02:31 PM
Were there any injuries or damage from the Tokyo earthquake today?
This 7.1-magnitude quake sounds pretty big, but info is pretty limited as it just happened. Are there any reports of injuries or property damage? Please provide reliable news sources to reference your facts.
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Best Answer Chosen by Asker
| August 09, 2009 11:20 PM |
While quite long and scary (as all earthquakes are) it was not nearly powerful enough to do damage, due to it's distance away from land.
This gets at the problem of media reporting.
In the US it was a "7.1 magnitude earthquake near Tokyo!". In Japan, it was a 4 (on their scale that is based on the amount of damage potential) in Tokyo and a 3 in Saitama.
In other words, it was not sensationalized in Japan, but in the US media it is made in to a big news story by just using the big numbers.
I wish this didn't happen as it scares my family back home unnecessarily.
| Asker's Rating: |
• Great analysis!
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Other Answers (3)
August 09, 2009 03:30 PM
There is no immediate reports of damage. http://www.cnn.com/asia
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August 09, 2009 05:55 PM
There were no immediate reports of damage. Possible reasons for no damage from this magnitude of a quake.
- 200 miles south-southwest of Tokyo
The quake happended in the ocean, away from land mass and structures
- Epicenter: 188 miles deep
With an epicenter that deep, there was probably some damage to the ocean floor, but it wasn't close enough to the top of the ocean floor to cause a tsunami
Damage takes some time to reveal itself though and get reported. If its small, some damage won't get reported at all. (ie: a few new cracks in the sidewalk)
Source(s):
www.foxnews.com
Tags: japan, earthquake, damage
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Helpful: brian san
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August 10, 2009 08:49 AM
Having been in Tokyo during the earthquake, I can say that it was longer than most earthquakes that I have been through but nowhere near strong enough to cause any damage. It was very smooth and rolling. Barely enough to move a lamp located on the 4th floor of a building. The seismic scale used in Japan is also different than the one used in the US.
I have included links to several informative sites.
http://www.jma.go.jp/en/quake/20090809202521391-091956.html
http://www.jma.go.jp/jma/en/Activities/intsummary.pdf
News:
http://www.asahi.com/english/Herald-asahi/TKY200908100046.html
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/A/AS_JAPAN_EARTHQUAKE_ASOL-?SITE=YOMIURI&SECTION=HOSTED_ASIA&TEMPLATE=ap_national.html
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Thanks for the information.
Growing up in San Francisco, I've had my share of quakes and have a keen understanding of the richter scale.
This makes me angry at our media machine.
I get more and more skeptical every day!
This actually gives me an idea for a question...