What Were The Economic Effects Of The Kobe Earthquake?

by | Last updated on January 24, 2024

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The total economic damage (

structural damage to the buildings, utilities, traffic network and port facilities, fire damage and liquefaction

) caused by the earthquake was estimated at JPY 6.9 trillion (City of Kobe, 2015), approximately equal to Kobe's annual gross product.

What effects did the Kobe earthquake have?

Primary included

the collapse of 200,000 buildings, the collapse of 1km of the Hanshin Expressway

, the destruction of 120 of the 150 quays in the port of Kobe, and fires which raged over large portions of the city. Secondary effects included disruption of the electricity and gas supply.

What were the effects of the Kobe earthquake?

The earthquake

resulted in more than 6,000 deaths and over 30,000 injuries

. Fires following the earthquake incinerated the equivalent of 70 U.S. city blocks. They together destroyed over 150,000 buildings and left about 300,000 people homeless.

How did the earthquake affect the people and infrastructure of Kobe?


Damage was widespread and severe

. Structures irreparably damaged by the quake included nearly 400,000 buildings, numerous elevated road and rail bridges, and 120 of the 150 quays in the port of Kobe. The quake triggered approximately 300 fires, which raged over large portions of the city.

Why Kobe earthquake was so devastating?

The Kobe earthquake was caused

by pressure building as the Philippine Sea plate is subducted underneath the Eurasian plate

. One of the reasons for the quake's destructive power was its shallow depth. Hurricanes. Homes were lost so people had nowhere to sleep at night and it would have been freezing.

How long was Kobe earthquake?

The earthquake hit at 5:46 am on Tuesday, Jan. 17, 1995, in the southern part of Hyōgo prefecture, west-central Honshu. It lasted

about 20 seconds

and registered as a magnitude 6.9 (7.3 on the Richter scale).

How did the earthquake of 1995 in Kobe impact the world economy?

The Kobe quake

struck at Japan's industrial heartland

. The affected regions accounted for 12.4% of Japan's GDP in 1995. … Following the Kobe quake, industrial production dropped in the month of January but then advanced by 2.2% in February and 1% in March. The effect on Japan's GDP was imperceptible.

How long did it take to rebuild Japan after the Kobe earthquake?

And then the city's infrastructure was gradually built, with the private railways coming back within about six months. After that, a little later, came larger infrastructure—Highway No. 1, which goes through Kobe from east to west, took

about two years

to rebuild. The port took about two years to rebuild.

How did the Great Hanshin earthquake happen?

The great Hanshin earthquake was

caused by plate motion under Hanshin area

. The inland shallow earthquake type decides its severe damage to cities such as Kobe and Osaka, by both shocking waves and soil liquification.

How did the government respond to the Kobe earthquake?

Most of the people killed in the 1995 quake were crushed by houses and buildings toppled by the temblor. Thereafter, the government

started offering subsidies to promote quake-proof work on houses built under pre-1980s building standards

.

What causes earthquakes?

An earthquake is caused

by a sudden slip on a fault

. … When the stress on the edge overcomes the friction, there is an earthquake that releases energy in waves that travel through the earth's crust and cause the shaking that we feel. In California there are two plates – the Pacific Plate and the North American Plate.

What plate margin was the Kobe earthquake?

The earthquake that hit Kobe during the winter of 1995 measured 6.9 on the Richter scale. At this plate margin,

the Pacific plate is being pushed under the Eurasian plate

, stresses build up and when they are released the Earth shakes.

What plates were involved in the Kobe Japan earthquake?

Kobe, Japan, 1995 (MEDC)

On 17th January 1995, an earthquake struck Kobe, a heavily populated urban area in Japan. It measured 7.4 on the Richter scale and occurred as a result of plate movement along

the boundary between the Philippines Plate, Pacific Plate and Eurasian Plate

.

How big was the Sichuan earthquake?

The epicentre of the

magnitude-7.9

quake (measured as magnitude 8.0 by the Chinese) was located near the city of Dujiangyan, about 50 miles (80 km) west-northwest of Chengdu, the provincial capital, at a depth of 11.8 miles (19 km) below the surface.

When was the Tohoku earthquake?

On

March 11, 2011

, a magnitude (Mw) 9.1 earthquake struck off the northeast coast of Honshu on the Japan Trench. A tsunami that was generated by the earthquake arrived at the coast within 30 minutes, overtopping seawalls and disabling three nuclear reactors within days.

David Evans
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David Evans
David is a seasoned automotive enthusiast. He is a graduate of Mechanical Engineering and has a passion for all things related to cars and vehicles. With his extensive knowledge of cars and other vehicles, David is an authority in the industry.