Great Hanshin earthquake
The Great Hanshin Earthquake occurred on January 17, 1995, at 05:46:53 JST (January 16 at 20:46:53 UTC) in the southern part of Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan, including the region known as Hanshin. It measured 6.9 on the moment magnitude scale and had a maximum intensity of 7 on the JMA Seismic Intensity Scale (XI–XII on the Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale). The tremors lasted for approximately 20 seconds. The focus of the earthquake was located 17 km beneath its epicenter, on the northern end of Awaji Island, 20 km away from the center of the city of Kobe.
| 兵庫県南部地震 阪神・淡路大震災 | |
The damaged Kobe Route of the Hanshin Expressway | |
USGS ShakeMap | |
Kobe Kobe | |
| UTC time | 1995-01-16 20:46:53 |
|---|---|
| ISC event | 124708 |
| USGS-ANSS | ComCat |
| Local date | January 17, 1995 |
| Local time | 05:46:53 JST |
| Duration | ~20 seconds |
| Magnitude | 7.3 MJMA 6.9 Mw |
| Depth | 17.6 km (10.9 mi) |
| Epicenter | 34.59°N 135.07°E |
| Fault | Nojima |
| Type | Strike-slip |
| Areas affected | Japan |
| Total damage | $200 billion (USD) |
| Max. intensity | JMA 7 (MMI XI–XII) |
| Peak acceleration | 0.91 g 891 gal |
| Casualties | 5,502–6,434 killed 36,896–43,792 injured 251,301–310,000 displaced |
Approximately 6,434 people died as a result of this earthquake; about 4,600 of them were from Kobe. Among major cities, Kobe, with its population of 1.5 million, was the closest to the epicenter and hit by the strongest tremors. This was Japan's deadliest earthquake in the 20th century after the Great Kantō earthquake in 1923, which claimed more than 105,000 lives.