GEOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -The Kobe quake was a result of an east-west strike-slip fault where the Eurasian and Philippine plates interact. The quake had a moment magnitude of 6.9 and cost more than $100 billion in damage.

Detailed explanation-2: -Kobe is located between the sea and the Rokko mountain range and the “Kinki Triangle” which is surrounded by 3 major active faults and subduction zones. The region is located on the Eurasian plate, close to the intersection of the Philippine Sea Plate and the Pacific Plate (Bardet, J.P.).

Detailed explanation-3: -On 11 March 2011 at 05:46:23 UTC, a mega earthquake (EQ) with magnitude (Mw) 9.0 [The 2011 Tohoku Earthquake] occurred at a depth of about 24 km near the East coast of Honshu Island, Japan as a result of a thrust faulting on or near the subduction plate boundary between the Pacific and North American plates.

Detailed explanation-4: -The earthquake hit at 5:46 am on Tuesday, Jan. 17, 1995, in the southern part of Hyōgo prefecture, west-central Honshu. It lasted about 20 seconds and registered as a magnitude 6.9 (7.3 on the Richter scale).

Detailed explanation-5: -The 2011 event resulted from thrust faulting on the subduction zone plate boundary between the Pacific and North America plates, according to the U.S. Geological Survey . This region has a high rate of seismic activity, with the potential to generate tsunamis.