1943 Tottori earthquake
The Tottori earthquake (鳥取地震, Tottori jishin) occurred in Tottori prefecture, Japan at 17:36 local time on September 10, 1943. Although the earthquake occurred during World War II, information about the disaster was surprisingly uncensored, and relief volunteers and supplies came from many parts of the Japanese empire, including Manchukuo.
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| UTC time | 1943-09-10 08:37:00 |
|---|---|
| ISC event | 899991 |
| USGS-ANSS | ComCat |
| Local date | September 10, 1943 |
| Local time | 17:36 JST |
| Magnitude | 7.0 Mw |
| Epicenter | 35.47°N 134.09°E |
| Areas affected | Japan |
| Casualties | 1086 |
The Tottori earthquake had its epicenter offshore from Ketaka District, now part of Tottori, and registered a magnitude of 7.0 on the Moment magnitude scale.[1] The seismic intensity was recorded as 6 in Tottori city, and 5 as far away as Okayama on the Inland Sea.[2] The center of Tottori city, with many antiquated buildings was the hardest hit, with an estimated 80% of its structures damaged or destroyed. As the earthquake struck in the evening when most kitchens had fires lit in preparation for the evening meal, fires broke out in 16 locations around the city. With water mains damaged, citizens formed bucket brigades to prevent fires from spreading; however, the death toll was 1083 killed, including numerous Zainichi Koreans working in the nearby Aragane Copper Mines.
Two magnitude 6.2 earthquakes had occurred in the same area earlier that year on March 4 and 5, but did not do significant damage.[3]
Notes
- ANSS. "Tottori 1943: M 7.0 - western Honshu, Japan". Comprehensive Catalog. U.S. Geological Survey.
- "The Tottori Earthquake (September 10, 1943, M 7.2)". www.hp1039.jishin.go.jp.
- "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2011-07-22. Retrieved 2008-10-30.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
External links
- The International Seismological Centre has a bibliography and/or authoritative data for this event.