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Late at night on March 16, 2022, two strong earthquakes broke out in the northeastern waters of Fukushima, Japan, with the highest intensity reaching 7.4, followed by the tsunami warning. This quickly reminds everyone of the 3.11 Fukushima earthquake in Japan - the nuclear leak has not been properly handled 11 years ago, and a hint of panic arises in their hearts. Just the next day, a magnitude 5.1 earthquake occurred in , Gansu, and a magnitude 5.0 earthquake occurred near , the Diaoyu Islands, , the northeastern Taiwan Province... In just 24 hours, four medium and strong earthquakes occurred around us. Why are earthquakes so frequent this year?
Although the tsunami caused by the Fukushima earthquake was only less than 1 meter high, the strong earthquake caused damage to the basic power facilities, and nearly 10 million people in Tokyo, the capital of Japan, fell into darkness. Affected by the failure of elevated tracks, Japan's Shinkansen high-speed railway also suffered large-scale suspensions. Of course, the most interesting thing is the damage to of the Fukushima nuclear power plant. Will it aggravate the leakage of nuclear pollution in ? Will it have an impact on the mainland? Can Japan explain the situation truthfully?
compared with Japan earthquake 11 years ago. The magnitude of the Fukushima earthquake that occurred at midnight on Wednesday was 7.4, while the 2011 earthquake was 9.1, with an intensity of about 63 times this time, and the energy released was 500 times this time, with a death toll of more than 22,000 people! In fact, in addition to the four earthquakes in China and Japan, there were three earthquakes above magnitude 5 in Iran, Pakistan and Peru till till till till till till till till till till till till till till till till till till till till till till till till till till till till till till till till till till till till till till till till till till till till till till till till till till t So does this dense earthquake mean that the Pacific Rim volcanic seismic belt has entered a highly active period?
Compared with the global earthquakes from 2012 to the present, it can be found that the average number of earthquakes in each magnitude each year has not been significantly different in the average annual number of earthquakes of various magnitudes in the past decade. Among them, the number of earthquakes of magnitude 7.0-7.9 is basically stable at about 15 times, and it is less than ten times in 2017, 2019 and 2020. 30% has passed in 2022, and so far, an earthquake of magnitude 7 or above has occurred on the 16th. In addition, the number of earthquakes of magnitude 5.0-6.9 this year is also slightly below the average level, so the so-called "the earth enters an active period" is not reliable.
From the location of the earthquake, the 2022 earthquake mainly occurred on the volcanic earthquake ring in the Pacific Rim, followed by Central Asia, the northeast coast of the Mediterranean and other places. This is because these places are located at the junction of plates. Under the strong stress of the earth's crust, collisions and squeezing between plates will cause earthquakes.
The world's famous earthquake areas include Japan (all region) and San Andreas fault area on the west coast of the United States . Seismologists predict that both places face a super earthquake risk of magnitude 9 or above ! Tens of millions of people are expected to face potential threats.
For my country, Sichuan Province and Taiwan Province are the two major earthquake-stricken areas. Needless to say, Sichuan is the region with the highest frequency of earthquakes in China. On September 21, 1999, the largest earthquake in Taiwan occurred in Nantou County, Taiwan at the end of the 20th century. Although the magnitude is only 7.6, the epicenter is located in a densely populated area. The whole process lasts for 102 seconds, causing serious consequences of more than 2,300 deaths. A research result of a geological and earthquake expert from Taiwan University also shows that from a statistical perspective, Taiwan may have a major earthquake that causes heavy casualties every 10 years. To do this, we must be prepared.
No matter what, today's natural disasters can be regarded as one of the few things without borders. Human beings are so vulnerable in the face of nature. I wish all Chinese compatriots and local friendly people safe...
References: Wikipedia - List of earthquakes in 2022.
