domingo, 31 de maio de 2015

Experts warn Japan to be vigilant for the next big earthquake after recent powerful tremblors


TOKYO (AFP) - Seismologists on Sunday warned Japan to stay vigilant for the next "Big One" after a powerful 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of the quake-prone nation, injuring a dozen people.

Saturday's quake was the second sizeable tremor Tokyo has experienced in a week, after a much less powerful - but far shallower - earthquake close to the capital on Monday.

Some experts warn recent quakes and volcano eruptions may be signs that areas near the country are entering an active phase of crustal changes. "I can say Japan is in an active stage now," said Dr Toshiyasu Nagao, head of Earthquake Prediction Research Centre at Tokai University. "Considering the geographic location of Japan, we can say the current activities are rather normal and it was too quiet" before the 2011 jolt, he told AFP. "We should be vigilant by knowing that it is no wonder that an earthquake sizeable enough to affect our society can occur anytime in the future."

Dr Kazuki Koketsu, a professor with the Earthquake Research Institute at the University of Tokyo, said the latest tremor was unlikely to be a sign of a potential big jolt in the capital, which was devastated by an massive earthquake in 1923. "But it is important to regard it as an opportunity to prepare for a future quake," Dr Koketsu told TV Asahi.

*Passengers check train schedules after train services were suspended following an earthquake at Shinbashi station in Tokyo, in this photo taken by Kyodo on May 30, 2015. Seismologists on Sunday, May 31, warned Japan to stay vigilant for the next "Big One" after a powerful 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of the quake-prone nation, injuring a dozen people. -- PHOTO: REUTERS 

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