Japan Quake May Have Altered Tokyo Fault Stress

Above, the Sumida River with the Kachidoki Bridge in the background. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

It looks like the Great East Japan Earthquake of March 11, 2011 may have altered the stresses to the fault line near Tokyo.

According to a post at News On Japan:

The recent monster quake that hit northeastern Japan altered the earth's surface, geologists say, loading stress onto a different segment of the fault line much closer to Tokyo. 

Experts are quick to point out that this doesn't mean a powerful earthquake is necessarily about to strike the Japanese capital. Even if it did, the structure of the tectonic plates and fault lines around the city makes it unlikely that Tokyo would be hit by a quake anywhere near the intensity of the 9.0-magnitude one that struck March 11, said Roger Musson of the British Geological Survey. 

But, given the vast population - Tokyo and its surroundings are home to 39 million people - any strong temblor could be devastating.

This story certainly isn't going to help people in Tokyo to sleep more soundly.


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