Possibility of Magnitude 8.0 Mega-Quake Raised for Northeast Japan

Following a magnitude 7.5 earthquake that struck northeastern Japan's Honshu region on the 20th, experts have raised the possibility of a larger earthquake, reaching magnitude 8.0, occurring in a similar area. The Nikkei newspaper, citing expert analysis, reported that the Sanriku coastal region, where the recent quake struck, has significant accumulated energy in its geological layers following past major earthquakes, posing a risk of a large-scale tremor. The Sanriku coast is located off the shores of Japan's Aomori, Iwate, and Miyagi prefectures, situated on a boundary where tectonic plates collide. This process releases strain energy accumulated deep within the earth, causing earthquakes.

Professor Ryota Hino, an earthquake expert from Tohoku University, pointed out the need to pay attention to the connection with the magnitude 7.9 Tokachi offshore earthquake that occurred off the coast of Sanriku in 1968. That earthquake generated a 2.95-meter tsunami in Hachinohe City, Aomori Prefecture, resulting in 52 deaths and 330 injuries. Professor Hino noted that the epicenters of the earthquakes that occurred in November and December last year, and on the 20th of this month, are adjacent to the epicenter of the 1968 quake. Kazushige Obara, Fellow and Chairman of the Japanese government's Earthquake Research Committee, also stated that there is a possibility of an earthquake of magnitude equal to or greater than those in 1968 or 1994.

Following the magnitude 7.5 strong earthquake in Japan, a large number of rare deep-sea fish, the Greater Amberjack (Todai), were caught in Busan. The Greater Amberjack inhabits rocky areas in the deep sea below 400-500 meters. On the 21st, five Greater Amberjacks were caught by a fishing boat departing from Busan. The largest specimen caught measured approximately 165 cm in length and weighed 90 kg. The simultaneous appearance of these rarely caught deep-sea fish has led to discussions linking it to earthquake precursor theories, referencing a past incident where 12 oarfish were found on Japanese coastlines before the Great East Japan Earthquake. However, the prevailing scientific consensus is that there is insufficient evidence to support a link between the appearance of these deep-sea fish and major earthquakes. Experts explain that deep-sea fish are more likely to surface due to changes in ocean currents, food migration, or diseases, rather than geological shifts.