TOKYO: A Japanese government panel said on Thursday (Jan 16) it has slightly raised its estimated probability of a “megaquake” to up to 82 per cent in the next 30 years.
Such a jolt could potentially have a devastating 8 to 9 magnitude, trigger colossal tsunamis, kill several hundred thousand people and cause billions of dollars in damage, experts say.
The Earthquake Research Committee said it has increased its estimate of the probability to between 75 and 82 per cent from between 74 and 81 per cent previously.
It concerns what is known as a subduction megathrust quake along the Nankai Trough, an 800km undersea gully running parallel to Japan’s Pacific coast.
The trench is where the Philippine Sea oceanic tectonic plate is “subducting” – or slowly slipping – underneath the continental plate that Japan sits on top of.
The plates become stuck as they move, storing up vast amounts of energy that is released when they break free, causing potentially massive earthquakes.
Source: CNA
