Tuesday 19 November 2013

Tokyo shaken by Magnitude 5.4 Earthquake on the Bōsō Peninsula.

The Japan Meteorological Agency recorded a Magnitude 5.4 Earthquake at a depth of 90 km on the Bōsō Peninsula to the east of Tokyo, slightly before 8.45 pm Japan Standard Time (slightly before 11.45 am) on Saturday 16 November 2013. There are no reports of any damage or casualties arising from this event, though it was felt throughout the Tokyo region and services on the Shinkansen High Speed Railway were briefly paused as a precaution.

The approximate location of the 16 November 2013 Bōsō Peninsula Earthquake. Google Maps.

Japan has a complex tectonic situation, with parts of the country on four different tectonic plates. The Tokyo area lies on the boundary between the Okhotsk, Eurasian and Philipine Plates, where the Okhotsk Plate is passing beneath the Eurasian and Philipine Plates as it is subducted into the Earth. This is not a smooth process; the rocks of the two plates constantly stick together, only to break apart again as the pressure builds up, causing Earthquakes in the process. 


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