Kobe Earthquake

Japan which is one of the richest and most technologically advanced countries in the world used to be considered well prepared for a major earthquake. That was before the Kobe disaster. Kobe is located farther than other Japanese cities from the dangerous intersection of three tectonic plates, the pacific, Eurasian, and Philippine. The earthquake which devastated the Japanese city had its epicentre 20 km to the south-west of Kobe in Osaka Bay and its magnitude was 7.2. A 30-50 km long rupture occurred close to and beneath Kobe and even two weeks after the first earthquake people could still feel 150 out of 1320 aftershocks. The earthquake did not just destroy the big city but also the nation’s confidence.

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Kobe is an important route centre. It has motorway (Hanshin Expressway) and intercity railway lines passing through it and a large modern port which handles millions of tones of trade each year. It is the world’s sixth largest port. The earthquake caused a lot of damage to all the transport facilities. Port buildings and their contents were also badly damaged.

3-5 percent of Japan’s industry is located in and around Kobe. This includes most types of industry – from light manufacturing to high-technology and heavy industry.

The earthquake led to settlement and liquefaction in these areas. ...

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