IRIDeS Newsletter | International Research Institute of Disaster Science

2016.4.17

The 2016 Kumamoto Earthquake: a new surface earthquake fault identified in Mifune Town, Kumamoto Prefecture (Professor Shinji Toda, Assistant Professor Shinsuke Okada) (vol.6)

During the emergency field survey of the International Research Institute of Disaster Science, Tohoku University, on April 17, the research team identified an area where a surface earthquake fault has appeared within the Hinagu fault zone, with a right-lateral strike-slip of approximately 25 centimeters in Takigawa, Mifune Town, Kamimashiki-gun, Kumamoto Prefecture. It seems that this rupture emerged at the magnitude 7.3 earthquake in predawn on April 16 (according to the landowner). Also, there...

2016.4.16

Initial Report: IRIDeS team dispatched (Professor Osamu Murao and others) (vol. 5)

Professor Osamu Murao, Associate Professor Shuji Moriguchi and Associate Professor Akihiro Shibayama investigated the affected area in Kumamoto. Findings are summarized as follows: ・Most serious damages were found on old buildings and relatively small damages on new buildings ・Extensive damages were observed along the faults; especially heavy damages on houses with roof tiles ・It is necessary for key buildings such as city halls to have anti-seismic re-enforcement, to function as ...

2016.4.15

The 2016 Kumamoto Earthquake: old wooden houses may have collapsed the most (Assistant Prof. Xin Wang) (vol.4)

Assistant Professor Xin Wang of the Hazard and Risk Evaluation Research Division in IRIDeS, calculated damage and collapse ratios of wooden houses according to different building ages, and has pointed out there is a high possibility that old wooden houses may collapsed the most in the Kumamoto Earthquake. And it is necessary to consider the risk of old wooden houses for disaster prevention in future earthquakes. Assistant Professor Xin Wang calculated the damage and collapse ratios of woode...

2016.4.15

The 2016 Kumamoto Earthquake: beware of large aftershocks from ‘unruptured fault sections’ (Professor Shinji Toda) (vol. 3)

Since immediately after the 2016 Kumamoto Earthquake, researchers in IRIDeS have continuously been collecting and analyzing information based on each research field. Today, we organized an emergency meeting and a lecture open to the public. During the lecture, Professor Shinji Toda, an expert in active faults, stated the following, regarding the results of analyzations so far: “The earthquake in Kumamoto occurred by the movement of a part of an active fault near the junction of two fault zo...

2016.4.8

IRIDeS has become easily accessible with a new subway line (vol.2)

The long-awaited Sendai Subway Tozai (E/W) Line finally started operation in December 2015. The IRIDeS building has become very accessible, with only a three-minute walk from Aobayama subway station. Today, Deputy Director Prof. Makoto Okumura, a specialist on transportation planning, talks about “university and subway.” Prof. Okumura: “Mt. Aoba where the IRIDeS Building is located in the place renowned feudal warlord Masamune Date chose to build his castle. It was “impregnable,” prot...