Apr 7, 2011 14:28 GMT  ·  By
An earthquake similar to the one that struck Japan on March 11 may hit over the next few weeks
   An earthquake similar to the one that struck Japan on March 11 may hit over the next few weeks

Reports that appeared in the Russian over the past couple of days quote the opinion of seismologists saying that a new earthquake could hit Japan. A fault line relatively close to the one that spawned the March 11 tremor has great potential for producing a strong seismic event.

The conclusion belongs to an analysis made by experts at the Russian Academy of Sciences Institute of Sea Geology and Geophysics (IMGiG). They were led by Ivan Tikhonov, a doctor of physical and mathematical sciences, and the chief of the seismology laboratory at the Institute.

Speaking with the Interfax news agency, the expert said that the troublesome fault line could produce an earthquake similar in magnitude to the first one. Japan has been constantly battered by aftershocks since mid-March.

Dozens of these events registered a magnitude above 6, while hundreds more were less intense. Still, that apparently did nothing to release all the pressure that exists in the tectonic system on which Japan lies, experts say.

“The repeated strong push in magnitude from 7,5 to 8,5 is possible. Such push can cause a tsunami wave, therefore it is necessary to be ready to (sic!) this event,” Tikhonov told the news agency.

The area the expert and his team studied is located approximately 200 kilometers to the east of the fault line which generate the magnitude 9.0 earthquake in March. This location contains a deep-water trench, that the group believes could act as the origin of a new seismic event, Vikno reports.

The Russian expert says that a new tremor is not for certain, but adds that the probability of such an even taking place is very high. As such, authorities in Japan and neighboring territories should be set on high alert.

If the prediction does come to fruition, then the Japanese main islands of Hokkaidos and Honshu will be the most severely affected.

The same conclusions are also supported by the deputy director of Institute of Physics of the Earth, Evgenie Rogozhin, who is a doctor of geologo-mineralogical science with the Russian Academy of Sciences.

“In day after the first powerful earthquake in Japan tens repeated tremors (аftershoki, as a rule, more poorly the main earthquake) have been registered. There were [two] very strong events with magnitude 7,7 and 7,9,” he said.

The expert goes on to add that more than 500 aftershocks have been registered near Japan thus far, which is a clear indicator of the amount of energy waiting to be released.

If a tremor does not take place within the next few weeks, then it most certainly will in the long-run, experts add. This means that Japan could again be struck by a major natural disaster in 2 to 5 years.