| Date | September 25, 2003 |
|---|---|
| Magnitude | 8.3 Mw[1] |
| Depth | 27 kilometers |
| Countries or regions | Japan |
| Tsunami | Yes |
| Casualties | 1 killed 1 missing at least 589 injured[1] |
The 2003 Hokkaidō earthquake (aka 2003 Tokachi-Oki Earthquake 十勝沖地震 (2003 Tokachi-Oki Jishin) ) occurred on September 25, 2003 in Hokkaidō, Japan. It measured 8.3 on the Moment magnitude scale[1] and caused extensive damage, destroying roads all around Hokkaidō, and caused several power outages and further damaging landslides. A number of people were injured.[2] The earthquake also caused a tsunami reaching 4 meters in height.[3] The earthquake's presence was felt throughout Japan, stretching all the way to Honshu and Tokyo.[1] The earthquake was the largest in 2003.[4]
Contents |
The location and moment tensor solution of this earthquake are consistent with it being a result of thrust faulting between the North American Plate and the subducting Pacific plate. In addition to experiencing large thrust earthquakes that originate on the interface between the plates, eastern Hokkaidō experiences great earthquakes that originate from the interior of the subducted Pacific plate.
1 was dead and 1 was missing (updated from 2 missing). The earthquake caused great damage, causing power outages, landslides, and destroying several ocean side home communities. It was offshore, causing less damage than if under the city, and an estimated cost was not given.[1]
The region has been rocked by an catastrophic earthquake/tsunami of Magnitude 9 in 1667 A.D.[5], a magnitude 8.2 in 1952[6], a 1968 quake measuring 8.3 Mw, and one in 2008 measuring 7.1, all bearing the name Tokachi-Oki[6] and a 1973 quake to the immediate north along the Kuril Trench plate boundary, called the 1973 Nemuro-Oki Earthquake.
|
||||||||