Earthquakes in ski resort towns

[Red Indian Chief Tom Rubber 0]

Just out of interest, have there ever been big earthquakes in any ski resort areas of Japan that have caused damage?

 

I'm really interested in earthquakes - though of course do not like them and don't want to experience one - just wondering with Japan being so prone to them..

 

[muikabochi 208]

Well I live in Niigata prefecture near lots of ski resorts and we had a big one 3 years ago. It didn't affect resorts that much as far as I know - apart from scare some people off that season.

 

Actually, Gala Yuzawa is still not opening the south part of it's slopes this season - apparently there are some problems over on that side that were actually caused by the quake and it will be next season at the earliest before they can sort it out.

 

I hear Hakuba is smack bang exactly on a nice fault that could go off.

 

[Fattwins 0]

Everywhere in Japan is on a bloody fault. When I lived in Kyoto I was on 4 faults, yikes. Hakuba a north south fault I think Tsuondaboy would know he has actually studied it.

[tsondaboy 0]

Yap, thats the area I am doing my Phd (and post Doc probably).

You are sitting on a time bomb FT!

[kokodoko 67]

Isnt there a huge fault line running right through the japanese alps area?

And hasnt it already slipped sideways or up and down?

 

From recollections i think that half of honshu slipped sideways.

i forget where i read it..

 

edit: i found this..

 

It seems it runs from around nagano to shizuoka (ish)

 

http://glgarcs.lad.jp/geology_tectline.html

 

 

[soubriquet 0]

The ISTL is a suture, and not necessarily a fault. Strike slip motion doesn't generate the same degree of strain as thrusting.

[tsondaboy 0]

Sorry if the explanations are a bit too scientific, I just copy paste from the introduction part of my thesis. Here is how it goes:

 

The Itoigawa-Sizuoka Tectonic Line (ISTL) is a major tectonic structure that divides Japan into NE and SW parts (fig 1). It was formed as a normal fault in the early Miocene and represents the southwestern boundary of the northern Fossa Mangna rifted basin to the north, and the boundary between the Japanese arc accretionary prism units and the Izu-bonin arc crust to the south. During the Pliocene the ISTL is reactivated as a reverse fault due to tectonic inversion after the collision of the Izu-Bonin arc with the Japanese arc. The deep of the ISTL fault system is not constant along its segments but changes from an East dipping thrust fault in the north to a strike slip fault in the center and to a west dipping trust fault to the south. The central and northern parts of the ISTL have a slip rate of 8.6-9.5 mm/yr and 3.0 mm/yr respectively,which represents one of the highest slip rates in all off the Japanese islands. Paleoseismological studies in the area suggest an average recurrence interval of 1250 – 1500 years for major events. The southern part of the ISTL fault system constitutes the boundary between the Cretaceous-Tertiary accretionary prism to the west and the Izu-Bonin units to the east. The southern segments of the ISTL fault system have a lower slip rate than the northern ones, with an estimated 0.3-0.5 mm/yr and a recurrence interval of approximately 5000 years.

 

[soubriquet 0]

Thanks tsonda. Post-Doc eh? Goody

[tsondaboy 0]

If I pass the Phd defense next month...

[kokodoko 67]

Excellent work, tsondaboy. Fascinating stuff.

 

I give you an A+

[tsondaboy 0]

Thx

[soubriquet 0]

 Originally Posted By: tsondaboy

If I pass the Phd defense next month...

If I passed mine (I did) you can pass yours. Gambatte.

[tsondaboy 0]

Posting at this rate wont get me any closer to the post Dock.

Though I might become a SJ guru like FT.

[KRUSTY 2]

While working on a Ski Resort in N.Z about 10 years ago the mountain erupted and sent lahars(mud and rocks)flowing down the mountain. I didnt hear of feel anything and didnt relise untill people started shouting. The season still carried on but wasnt the best as the mountain still erupted ash which covered the snow when the wind blew it in our direction and eventually forced us to close early. Due to my contract I was kept employed untill my contract finished which meant I had to still go up the mountain each day to tune rental skis etc even while the mountain was active. It recently erupted again a couple of weeks ago and this time it was at night but a climber who was staying in a hut near the crater lost one of his legs when it was crushed by flying rocks. I read somewhere that the most recent eruption may have been caused by a earthquake and it wasnt expected but the first eruption 10 years ago was kinda expected as the crater lake had heated up so much.

[muikabochi 208]

I wonder what Rahul would say.....

[grungy-gonads 54]

Well for what it's worth, my prediction is as follows:

 

THERE WILL BE A STRONG EARTHQUAKE WITHIN 100 MILES OF ANYWHERE ON THAT LINK ON TSONDAS MAP OF AT LEAST MAGNITUDE 5 WITHIN THE NEXT 10 YEARS.

 

Please take all necessary precautions.

[tsondaboy 0]

Cheater....

[Go Native 70]

The Niseko area is relatively stable for Japan. It is very unlikely we will ever get any really big quakes here. We do get the occasional 2-3 magnitude but even they are relatively rare. In the last 2 1/2 years here I have only ever felt 2 quakes and they weren't all that exciting.

[Fattwins 0]

Mate you are sitting between how many volcanos? And you think that there wont be a big one?