2.+Kobe+=+Factors

= __The Kobe Earthquake of 1995__ = The Great Hanshin quake struck the city of Kobe on 17 January 1995. It was the worst earthquake to hit Japan in recent times. It wasn’t the biggest quake, but its focus was only 20km (12miles) away from Kobe and 16km (10miles) beneath Awaji Island. It rated 7.5 on the Ms scale and 6.8 on the Mw scale. Beginning at 5:46am, the tremble lasted for 20 seconds.

The earthquake itself was caused by a strike-slip jolt (sudden lateral movement of one rock mass against another) on the Nojima Fault, which up until then was not considered a dangerous fault and the earthquake itself was really dense which was likely to cause extensive damage due to liquefaction. During the quake, the sides of the fault shifted 6 to 10 feet (approximately 1.8288m to 3.048m) in the opposite directions. The surface alon the fault moved five feet in one place. Kobe is also a city where earthquakes occurred rarely hence the people were unprepared for the incident.

=**FIGURE 3**=

Three crustal plates meet near to the coast of Japan. Close to Kobe, the denser oceanic Philippines Plate is being subducted beneath the lighter continental Eurasian Plate. Earthquakes are very common here and happen because of the friction resulting from the two plates colliding along this destructive margin. The great destruction which resulted from the 1995 Kobe Earthquake was due to the shallow depth of the focus which was only about 16 kms. below the surface and the fact that the epicentre occurred close to a very heavily populated area. Seismic shockwaves travelled from Awaji Island (the epicentre) along the Nojima Fault to the cities of Kobe and Osaka. (David Rayner, 2002) Cited From //**http://www.georesources.co.uk/kobehigh.htm**//

Photograph by Karen Kasmauski. A crane and several construction vehicles lay toppled on a fractured road in Kobe. Cited from //**http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/photos/earthquake-general/#asphalt-crack_4_600x450.jpg

**// Photograph from Pacific Press Service/Alamy. A steel-fortified railroad lies twisted like a toy after the Great Hanshin quake. Citied from //**http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/photos/earthquake-general/#railroad-twisted_15_600x450.jpg**//

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