Potential Magnitude 9 Megaquake Warning: Hokkaido’s Kuril Trench Energy Accumulation Risks

A groundbreaking study by Japanese researchers has uncovered alarming seismic potential in the Kuril Trench near Hokkaido, where accumulated strain could unleash a catastrophic magnitude 9 earthquake. The Japanese government’s Earthquake Research Committee warns there’s a 7-40% chance of a devastating magnitude 8.8+ quake striking the region within the next three decades.

As reported by NHK Japan, this startling revelation comes after an intensive five-year investigation conducted by top scientists from Tohoku University, Hokkaido University, and the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology.

In 2019, the research team made a crucial discovery by installing GPS monitoring stations along the plate boundary where the oceanic plate dives beneath the continental plate. While the oceanic plate creeps 8 centimeters toward land annually, shockingly, the continental plate station showed identical movement – clear evidence the plates are completely locked together, building dangerous tectonic tension.

The Kuril Trench’s last catastrophic quake dates back to the 1600s. Researchers warn that if this plate locking has persisted since then, the pent-up energy could rival that of history’s most destructive earthquakes. The team is expanding their investigation to another critical site near Hokkaido for further verification.

Government projections paint an even grimmer picture: a magnitude 9+ quake in the trench could unleash monstrous tsunami waves over 20 meters high, potentially claiming 100,000 lives in coastal communities.

“Public awareness has faded since the 2011 disaster,” warns Dr. Fumitaka Tomita of Tohoku University’s Disaster Science Institute. “We must maintain constant vigilance and thorough preparedness for this looming megaquake threat.”

[Source: Orange News]