2004 Chuetsu earthquake
Encyclopedia
The occurred at 5:56 p.m.(local time) on Saturday, October 23, 2004 (0856 UT
, same day). The Japan Meteorological Agency
(JMA) has named it the Heisei
16 Niigata Prefecture
Chuetsu Earthquake
(平成16年新潟県中越地震) (Romaji: Heisei ju-roku-nen Niigata-ken Chuetsu Jishin) or The Mid Niigata Prefecture Earthquake of 2004. Niigata Prefecture is located in the Hokuriku region
of Honshu
, the largest island of Japan. The initial earthquake caused noticeable shaking across almost half of Honshu, including parts of the Tohoku
, Hokuriku
, Chūbu
, and Kantō region
s.
with a reading of 7 on the Japanese shindo
scale at Kawaguchi, Niigata
. On the Richter scale
, the moment magnitude
of the earthquake is estimated at 6.8. (For comparison, the Great Hanshin earthquake
, which devastated much of Kobe, measured 7 on the shindo scale, with a magnitude of 7.2.) The earthquake occurred at a depth of 15.8 km. The JMA gave the coordinates of the earthquake as 37.3°N 138.8°E.
A second earthquake occurred at 6:12 p.m. (16 minutes after the first). This one, at a much shallower depth, also caused a shindo of 6+ and had a magnitude of 5.9. A third, at 6:34, had a shindo of 6−. At 7:46, another shindo 6− earthquake occurred. Intervening and subsequent earthquakes of lesser intensity also shook the region. During the first 66 hours, 15 earthquakes with intensities of shindo 5− or higher rocked the Chuetsu region.
In a press release, the Geographical Survey Institute (GSI) of the Government of Japan published preliminary estimates that a fault having a length of 22 km and a width of 17 km moved approximately 1.4 m.
This was the deadliest earthquake to strike Japan since the January 1995 Great Hanshin earthquake
.
As late as November 3, the 39th fatality attributable to the earthquakes occurred as perceptible aftershocks continued. Over 3,000 injuries were reported in Niigata Prefecture. Over one hundred thousand people fled their homes. The earthquakes caused houses to collapse in Ojiya and damaged thousands in the area.
For the first time in its history, a Shinkansen
train derailed while in service. Eight out of ten cars of the Toki 325 service (a 200 Series Shinkansen
) derailed on the Joetsu Shinkansen
line between Nagaoka Station
in Nagaoka
and Urasa Station
in Yamato
; no injuries were reported among the 155 passengers. The railbed, bridges and tunnels were all affected. East Japan Railway Company
(JR East) stopped all trains in Niigata Prefecture, including the extensively damaged Joetsu Line
, Shinetsu Main Line, Iiyama Line
, Tadami Line
and Echigo Line
. Part of Nagaoka Station appeared ready to collapse as a result of an aftershock, but after a brief closure, the station reopened.
The section of the Joetsu Shinkansen between Echigo-Yuzawa Station
and Tsubame-Sanjo Station closed. Buses transferred passengers between the two operating sections of the line: Tokyo Station
to Echigo-Yuzawa Station and Tsubame-Sanjo Station to Niigata Station
.
On December 27, 2004, service resumed on all remaining parts of the Joetsu and Iiyama Lines reopened. On December 28, 2004, the Joetsu Shinkansen also reopened, the last to do so.
Japan Highways
closed all expressways in Niigata Prefecture. Closures affected the Kanetsu Expressway and the Hokuriku Expressway
. As of November 4, the Kanetsu Expressway remained closed between Nagaoka Interchange and Koide Interchange. This segment reopened on November 5.
Landslides and other problems forced closure of two national highways, Route 8
and Route 17
, as well as several prefectural roads. This isolated several localities, including nearly the entire village
of Yamakoshi
, which was then a village in the district of Koshi
but since merged with and became part of the city of Nagaoka
. On July 22, 2005, the government lifted the nine-month-old evacuation order for 528 of the 690 affected households.
The earthquakes also caused a landslide that partially buried three vehicles. A young boy was rescued from one of these vehicles, but his mother and sister perished. (Recent typhoons had waterlogged the soil, making landslides more likely.)
The quake broke water mains. Extensive electric power, telephone (including cellular telephone) and Internet outages were reported. The cellular telephone system suffered from direct damage to relay stations, as well as depletion of battery back-up power supplies in as little as a day.
) was lifted. Residents were permitted to return to their homes after a span of nearly two and a half years.
A Pokémon
anime episode that was based on the Pokémon Barboach and its evolved form Whiscash causing earthquakes was never aired, due to the similarity with this earthquake. See: Pokémon episodes removed from rotation page
has been hit by numerous earthquakes in recorded history. Notable recent ones include a large quake on June 16, 1964
that had a magnitude of 7.5, killing 28, where major liquefaction had occurred and tsunami
destroyed the port of Niigata city. This quake was important in that, along with the 1964 Alaska earthquake, it was the first time engineers really began studying liquefaction in detail.
There was also the 2007 Chūetsu offshore earthquake
, both striking shortly after major typhoons passed by, causing complications.
Universal Time
Universal Time is a time scale based on the rotation of the Earth. It is a modern continuation of Greenwich Mean Time , i.e., the mean solar time on the Prime Meridian at Greenwich, and GMT is sometimes used loosely as a synonym for UTC...
, same day). The Japan Meteorological Agency
Japan Meteorological Agency
The or JMA, is the Japanese government's weather service. Charged with gathering and reporting weather data and forecasts in Japan, it is a semi-autonomous part of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport...
(JMA) has named it the Heisei
Heisei
is the current era name in Japan. The Heisei era started on 8 January 1989, the first day after the death of the reigning Emperor, Hirohito. His son, Akihito, succeeded to the throne...
16 Niigata Prefecture
Niigata Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Honshū on the coast of the Sea of Japan. The capital is the city of Niigata. The name "Niigata" literally means "new lagoon".- History :...
Chuetsu Earthquake
Earthquake
An earthquake is the result of a sudden release of energy in the Earth's crust that creates seismic waves. The seismicity, seismism or seismic activity of an area refers to the frequency, type and size of earthquakes experienced over a period of time...
(平成16年新潟県中越地震) (Romaji: Heisei ju-roku-nen Niigata-ken Chuetsu Jishin) or The Mid Niigata Prefecture Earthquake of 2004. Niigata Prefecture is located in the Hokuriku region
Hokuriku region
The is located in the northwestern part of Honshū, the main island of Japan. It lies along the Sea of Japan within the Chūbu region. It is almost equivalent to Koshi Province and Hokurikudō area in pre-modern Japan....
of Honshu
Honshu
is the largest island of Japan. The nation's main island, it is south of Hokkaido across the Tsugaru Strait, north of Shikoku across the Inland Sea, and northeast of Kyushu across the Kanmon Strait...
, the largest island of Japan. The initial earthquake caused noticeable shaking across almost half of Honshu, including parts of the Tohoku
Tohoku region
The is a geographical area of Japan. The region occupies the northeastern portion of Honshu, the largest island of Japan. The region consists of six prefectures : Akita, Aomori, Fukushima, Iwate, Miyagi and Yamagata....
, Hokuriku
Hokuriku region
The is located in the northwestern part of Honshū, the main island of Japan. It lies along the Sea of Japan within the Chūbu region. It is almost equivalent to Koshi Province and Hokurikudō area in pre-modern Japan....
, Chūbu
Chubu region
The is the central region of Honshū, Japan's main island. Chūbu has a population estimate of 21,886,324 as of 2008.Chūbu, which means "central region", encompasses nine prefectures : Aichi, Fukui, Gifu, Ishikawa, Nagano, Niigata, Shizuoka, Toyama, Yamanashi, and often Mie.It is located directly...
, and Kantō region
Kanto region
The is a geographical area of Honshu, the largest island of Japan. The region includes the Greater Tokyo Area and encompasses seven prefectures: Gunma, Tochigi, Ibaraki, Saitama, Tokyo, Chiba, and Kanagawa. Within its boundaries, slightly more than 40 percent of the land area is the Kantō Plain....
s.
Earthquake details
The first quake struck the Chuetsu area of Niigata Prefecture, JapanJapan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
with a reading of 7 on the Japanese shindo
Japan Meteorological Agency seismic intensity scale
The Japan Meteorological Agency seismic intensity scale is a seismic scale used in Japan and Taiwan to measure the intensity of earthquakes. It is measured in units of...
scale at Kawaguchi, Niigata
Kawaguchi, Niigata
was a town located in Kitauonuma District, Niigata, Japan.As of 2003, the town had an estimated population of 5,549 and a density of 110.91 persons per km². The total area was 50.03 km².On March 31, 2010, Kawaguchi became a part of Nagaoka city....
. On the Richter scale
Richter magnitude scale
The expression Richter magnitude scale refers to a number of ways to assign a single number to quantify the energy contained in an earthquake....
, the moment magnitude
Moment magnitude scale
The moment magnitude scale is used by seismologists to measure the size of earthquakes in terms of the energy released. The magnitude is based on the seismic moment of the earthquake, which is equal to the rigidity of the Earth multiplied by the average amount of slip on the fault and the size of...
of the earthquake is estimated at 6.8. (For comparison, the Great Hanshin earthquake
Great Hanshin earthquake
The Great Hanshin earthquake, or Kobe earthquake, was an earthquake that occurred on Tuesday, January 17, 1995, at 05:46 JST in the southern part of Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. It measured 6.8 on the moment magnitude scale , and Mj7.3 on JMA magnitude scale. The tremors lasted for approximately 20...
, which devastated much of Kobe, measured 7 on the shindo scale, with a magnitude of 7.2.) The earthquake occurred at a depth of 15.8 km. The JMA gave the coordinates of the earthquake as 37.3°N 138.8°E.
A second earthquake occurred at 6:12 p.m. (16 minutes after the first). This one, at a much shallower depth, also caused a shindo of 6+ and had a magnitude of 5.9. A third, at 6:34, had a shindo of 6−. At 7:46, another shindo 6− earthquake occurred. Intervening and subsequent earthquakes of lesser intensity also shook the region. During the first 66 hours, 15 earthquakes with intensities of shindo 5− or higher rocked the Chuetsu region.
In a press release, the Geographical Survey Institute (GSI) of the Government of Japan published preliminary estimates that a fault having a length of 22 km and a width of 17 km moved approximately 1.4 m.
This was the deadliest earthquake to strike Japan since the January 1995 Great Hanshin earthquake
Great Hanshin earthquake
The Great Hanshin earthquake, or Kobe earthquake, was an earthquake that occurred on Tuesday, January 17, 1995, at 05:46 JST in the southern part of Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. It measured 6.8 on the moment magnitude scale , and Mj7.3 on JMA magnitude scale. The tremors lasted for approximately 20...
.
Damage
Shinkansen
The , also known as THE BULLET TRAIN, is a network of high-speed railway lines in Japan operated by four Japan Railways Group companies. Starting with the Tōkaidō Shinkansen in 1964, the network has expanded to currently consist of of lines with maximum speeds of , of Mini-shinkansen with a...
train derailed while in service. Eight out of ten cars of the Toki 325 service (a 200 Series Shinkansen
200 Series Shinkansen
The is a Shinkansen high-speed train type introduced by Japan National Railways for the Tōhoku Shinkansen and Jōetsu Shinkansen high-speed rail lines in Japan, and currently operated by East Japan Railway Company . They actually predate the 100 series trains, having been built between 1980 and 1986...
) derailed on the Joetsu Shinkansen
Joetsu Shinkansen
The is a high-speed railway line connecting Tokyo and Niigata, Japan, via the Tōhoku Shinkansen, operated by the East Japan Railway Company .-History:The program was initiated in 1971 by Niigata-born prime minister Tanaka Kakuei...
line between Nagaoka Station
Nagaoka Station
is a train station located in Nagaoka, Niigata, Japan.The station opened on June 16, 1898.- Lines :*East Japan Railway Company**Jōetsu Shinkansen**Shin'etsu Main Line**Jōetsu Line- Adjacent stations :-External links:*...
in Nagaoka
Nagaoka, Niigata
is a city located in the central part of Niigata Prefecture, Japan. It is the second largest city in the prefecture, behind the capital city of Niigata...
and Urasa Station
Urasa Station
is a train station located in Minamiuonuma, Niigata, Japan. It opened on September 1, 1923.- Adjacent stations :-External links:*...
in Yamato
Yamato, Niigata
Yamato was a town located in Minamiuonuma District, Niigata, Japan.The town was established as a village in 1956, and promoted to a town in 1962.As of 2003, the town had an estimated population of 15,195 and a density of 116.07 persons per km²...
; no injuries were reported among the 155 passengers. The railbed, bridges and tunnels were all affected. East Japan Railway Company
East Japan Railway Company
is the largest passenger railway company in the world and one of the seven Japan Railways Group companies. The company name is officially abbreviated as JR East in English, and as in Japanese. The company's headquarters are in Yoyogi, Shibuya, Tokyo....
(JR East) stopped all trains in Niigata Prefecture, including the extensively damaged Joetsu Line
Joetsu Line
The is a major rail line in Japan. Part of the JR East system, it runs from Takasaki Station in Takasaki, Gunma Prefecture, to Miyauchi Station in Nagaoka, Niigata Prefecture, linking the northwestern Kantō region and the Sea of Japan coast of the Chūbu region...
, Shinetsu Main Line, Iiyama Line
Iiyama Line
The is a railway line in Japan linking Toyono Station in Nagano, Nagano Prefecture and Echigo-Kawaguchi Station in Nagaoka, Niigata Prefecture. It is operated by East Japan Railway Company .- Stations :-External links:*...
, Tadami Line
Tadami Line
The is a railway line in Japan operated by East Japan Railway Company . It connects Aizu-Wakamatsu Station in Aizuwakamatsu, Fukushima with Koide Station in Uonuma, Niigata.-Services:...
and Echigo Line
Echigo Line
The is a railway line operated by East Japan Railway Company which connects the cities of Kashiwazaki and Niigata in Niigata Prefecture, Japan...
. Part of Nagaoka Station appeared ready to collapse as a result of an aftershock, but after a brief closure, the station reopened.
The section of the Joetsu Shinkansen between Echigo-Yuzawa Station
Echigo-Yuzawa Station
is a train station operated by East Japan Railway Company , located in the resort town of Yuzawa in Niigata Prefecture, Japan. Facilities at the station include souvenir shopping and eating facilities, as well as a sake-themed attraction complete with an indoor onsen bath.-Lines:Echigo-Yuzawa...
and Tsubame-Sanjo Station closed. Buses transferred passengers between the two operating sections of the line: Tokyo Station
Tokyo Station
is a train station located in the Marunouchi business district of Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan, near the Imperial Palace grounds and the Ginza commercial district....
to Echigo-Yuzawa Station and Tsubame-Sanjo Station to Niigata Station
Niigata Station
is a train station operated by East Japan Railway Company in Chūō-ku, Niigata, Japan. It opened on May 3, 1904.The station is at the centre of Niigata city, the largest city on the Sea of Japan coast in Honshū...
.
On December 27, 2004, service resumed on all remaining parts of the Joetsu and Iiyama Lines reopened. On December 28, 2004, the Joetsu Shinkansen also reopened, the last to do so.
Japan Highways
Japan Highway Public Corporation
, or JH, was a public company established after World War II to construct and manage highway networks in Japan, founded in 1956.On October 1, 2005, JH was divided into three private enterprises, East Nippon Expressway Co., Ltd. , Central Nippon Expressway Co., Ltd. , and West Nippon Expressway...
closed all expressways in Niigata Prefecture. Closures affected the Kanetsu Expressway and the Hokuriku Expressway
Hokuriku Expressway
The ,The ,The ,(abbreviated as , is a 4-laned national expressway in Japan. It is owned and managed by East Nippon Expressway Company and Central Nippon Expressway Company.-Overview:...
. As of November 4, the Kanetsu Expressway remained closed between Nagaoka Interchange and Koide Interchange. This segment reopened on November 5.
Landslides and other problems forced closure of two national highways, Route 8
Route 8 (Japan)
National Route 8 is an important highway in the Hokuriku and Kansai regions. It connects the prefectural capitals of Niigata, Toyama, Kanazawa , Fukui, Otsu , and Kyoto.-Route Data:*Length:...
and Route 17
Route 17 (Japan)
National Route 17 is a highway on the island of Honshū in Japan. It originates at Nihonbashi in Chūō, Tokyo and terminates in the city of Niigata , where it meets Routes 7, 8, 49, 113 and 116)....
, as well as several prefectural roads. This isolated several localities, including nearly the entire village
Villages of Japan
A is a local administrative unit in Japan.It is a local public body along with , , and . Geographically, a village's extent is contained within a prefecture....
of Yamakoshi
Yamakoshi, Niigata
Yamakoshi was a village located in Koshi District, Niigata, Japan.As of 2003, the village had an estimated population of 2,035 and a density of 51.09 persons per km²...
, which was then a village in the district of Koshi
Koshi District, Niigata
Koshi was a district located in Niigata, Japan.As of 2003, the district had an estimated population of 2,035 and a density of 51.09 persons per km². The total area is 39.83 km².-Merger and dissolution:...
but since merged with and became part of the city of Nagaoka
Nagaoka, Niigata
is a city located in the central part of Niigata Prefecture, Japan. It is the second largest city in the prefecture, behind the capital city of Niigata...
. On July 22, 2005, the government lifted the nine-month-old evacuation order for 528 of the 690 affected households.
The earthquakes also caused a landslide that partially buried three vehicles. A young boy was rescued from one of these vehicles, but his mother and sister perished. (Recent typhoons had waterlogged the soil, making landslides more likely.)
The quake broke water mains. Extensive electric power, telephone (including cellular telephone) and Internet outages were reported. The cellular telephone system suffered from direct damage to relay stations, as well as depletion of battery back-up power supplies in as little as a day.
Aftermath
On April 1, 2007, the directive to evacuate five settlements in the former village of Yamakoshi (later part of the city of NagaokaNagaoka
-Places:* Nagaoka, Niigata, Japan* Nagaoka-kyō, the capital of Japan from 784 to 794** Nagaokakyō, Kyoto, Japan, a city at the location of Nagaoka-kyō* Izunagaoka, Shizuoka, Japan, a former town in Izu Peninsula.-People:...
) was lifted. Residents were permitted to return to their homes after a span of nearly two and a half years.
A Pokémon
Pokémon
is a media franchise published and owned by the video game company Nintendo and created by Satoshi Tajiri in 1996. Originally released as a pair of interlinkable Game Boy role-playing video games developed by Game Freak, Pokémon has since become the second most successful and lucrative video...
anime episode that was based on the Pokémon Barboach and its evolved form Whiscash causing earthquakes was never aired, due to the similarity with this earthquake. See: Pokémon episodes removed from rotation page
History
Niigata PrefectureNiigata Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Honshū on the coast of the Sea of Japan. The capital is the city of Niigata. The name "Niigata" literally means "new lagoon".- History :...
has been hit by numerous earthquakes in recorded history. Notable recent ones include a large quake on June 16, 1964
1964 Niigata earthquake
The 1964 Niigata earthquake struck at 13:01 local time on 16 June. The epicenter was on the continental shelf off the northwest coast of Honshu in Niigata Prefecture, about 50 km north of the city of Niigata...
that had a magnitude of 7.5, killing 28, where major liquefaction had occurred and tsunami
Tsunami
A tsunami is a series of water waves caused by the displacement of a large volume of a body of water, typically an ocean or a large lake...
destroyed the port of Niigata city. This quake was important in that, along with the 1964 Alaska earthquake, it was the first time engineers really began studying liquefaction in detail.
There was also the 2007 Chūetsu offshore earthquake
2007 Chuetsu offshore earthquake
The Chūetsu Offshore Earthquake was a powerful magnitude 6.6 earthquake that occurred 10:13 a.m. local time on July 16, 2007, in the northwest Niigata region of Japan. The earthquake shook Niigata and neighbouring prefectures...
, both striking shortly after major typhoons passed by, causing complications.