The Chuetsu Earthquakes (中越地震) began at 5:56 p.m. on Saturday, October 23, 2004 (0856 UT, same day). The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) has named these the Heisei 16 Niigata Prefecture Chuetsu Earthquakes (平成16年新潟県中越地震) or The Mid Niigata Prefecture Earthquake of 2004. October 23 is the 296th day of the year (297th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 69 days remaining. ... 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Universal Time (UT) is a timescale based on the rotation of the Earth. ... Japan Meteorological Agency (気象庁) is a government agency, which is a central place responsible for gathering and reporting weather data and forecasts in Japan. ... History of Japan Paleolithic Jomon Yayoi Yamato period – Kofun period – Asuka period Nara period Heian period Kamakura period Muromachi period Azuchi-Momoyama period – Nanban contacts Edo period Meiji period Taisho period Showa period – Japanese expansionism – Occupied Japan – Post-Occupation Japan Heisei Heisei (平成) is the current era name in Japan. ... Niigata Prefecture (新潟県; Niigata-ken) is located on Honshu island, Japan. ... Global earthquake epicenters, 1963–1998 An earthquake is a sudden and sometimes catastrophic movement of a part of the Earths surface. ...

Damage

Damaged road; photo taken in October, 2004, Ojiya

As late as November 3, the 39th fatality attributable to the earthquakes occurred as perceptible aftershocks continued. Over 3,000 injuries have been reported in Niigata Prefecture. Over one hundred thousand people fled their homes. The earthquakes caused houses to collapse in Ojiya and damaged thousands in the area. Photo by ja:利用者:Tubbi, broken asphalt road by Chuetsu Earthquake, 2004. ... Photo by ja:利用者:Tubbi, broken asphalt road by Chuetsu Earthquake, 2004. ... Categories: Cities in Niigata Prefecture | Japan geography stubs ...

For the first time in its history, a Shinkansen train derailed while in service. Eight out of ten cars of the Toki 325 (a 200 Series Shinkansen) derailed on the Joetsu Shinkansen line between Nagaoka Station in Nagaoka and Urasa Station in Yamato; no injuries were reported among the 155 passengers. Railbeds, bridges and tunnels were all affected. East Japan Railway Company stopped all trains in Niigata Prefecture, including the extensively damaged Joetsu Line, Shinetsu Main Line, Iiyama Line, Tadami Line and Echigo Line. Part of Nagaoka Station appeared ready to collapse as a result of an aftershock, but after a brief closure, the station has reopened. Shinkansen 0 Series at Fukuyama Station, April 2002 Shinkansen 500 Series at Kyoto Station, March 2005 300 (Left) and 700 Series Shinkansen at Tokyo Station The Shinkansen (Japanese: 新幹線) is a network of high-speed railway lines in Japan. ... The 200 Series Shinkansen trainsets were built for the second generation of Shinkansen dedicated high-speed rail lines in Japan, the Tohoku Shinkansen and Joetsu Shinkansen. ... Joetsu Shinkansen route Joetsu Shinkansen (上越新幹線) is a high-speed railway line connecting Tokyo and Niigata, Japan, via Tohoku Shinkansen, operated by the East Japan Railway Company. ... Nagaoka (長岡市; -shi) is a city located in Niigata, Japan. ... Yamato (大和町; -machi) is a town located in Minamiuonuma District, Niigata, Japan. ... Yamanote Line, Tokyo JR Yamanote Line train in Tokyo, Japan Above Yurakucho in Tokyo East Japan Railway Company (東日本旅客鉄道 Higashi-Nihon Ryokyaku Tetsudo or JR東日本; JR Higashi-Nihon) (TYO: 9020) is a Japanese private railroad company, the largest passenger railway company in the world and one of the seven JR companies. ... The Joetsu Line is a major rail line in Japan. ...

The segment of the Joetsu Shinkansen between Echigo Yuzawa Station and Nagaoka Station closed. Buses transferred passengers between the two operating segments of the line: Tokyo Station–Echigo Yuzawa Station and Nagaoka Station–Niigata Station. Tokyo Station Tokyo Station (東京駅; -eki) is a train station located in the centre of Tokyo in the Marunouchi business district near the Imperial Palace grounds and somewhat to the north of the Ginza commercial district. ...

On December 27, 2004, service resumed on all remaining parts of the Joetsu and Iiyama Lines reopened. On December 28, 2004, the Joetsu Shinkansen, also reopened, the last to do so.

Japan Highways closed all expressways in Niigata Prefecture. Closures affected the Kanetsu Expressway and the Hokuriku Expressway. As of November 4, the Kanetsu Expressway remained closed between Nagaoka Interchange and Koide Interchange. This segment reopened on November 5. Japan Highway Public Corporation (日本道路公団 nihon dōro kōdan or JH) is a public company established to construct and manage highway networks in Japan, founded in 1956. ...

Landslides and other problems forced closure of two national highways, Route 8 and Route 17, as well as several prefectural roads. This isolated several localities, including nearly the entire village of Yamakoshi, which was then a village in the district of Koshi but since merged with and became part of the city of Nagaoka. On July 22, 2005, the government lifted the nine-month-old evacuation order for 528 of the 690 affected households. A village (村 mura or son) is a local administrative unit in Japan. ... Yamakoshi (山古志村; -mura) is a village located in Koshi District, Niigata, Japan. ... Koshi (古志郡; -gun) is a district located in Niigata, Japan. ... Nagaoka (長岡市; -shi) is a city located in Niigata, Japan. ... 22 July is the 203rd day (204th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 162 days remaining. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

The earthquakes also caused a landslide that partially buried three vehicles. A young boy was rescued from one of these vehicles, but his mother and sister perished. (Recent typhoons had waterlogged the soil, making landslides more likely.)

The quake broke water mains. Extensive electric power, telephone (including cellular telephone) and Internet outages were reported. The cellular telephone system suffered from direct damage to relay stations, as well as depletion of battery back-up power supplies in as little as a day.

Earthquake details

Distribution of soup in Ojiya

The first quake struck the Chuetsu area of Niigata Prefecture, Japan with a reading of 7 on the Japanese shindo scale at Kawaguchi, Niigata. On the Richter scale, the moment magnitude of the earthquake is estimated at 6.9. (For comparison, the Great Hanshin earthquake, which devastated much of Kobe, measured 7 on the shindo scale, with a magnitude of 7.2.) The earthquake occurred at a depth of 15.8  km. The JMA gave the coordinates of the earthquake as 37.3° N 138.8° W. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1200x600, 95 KB) 新潟県中越地震の避難所となった小千谷市総合体育館前で行われた炊き出し。ガスではなく薪を使っている。2004å¹´10月28日撮影。 Distribution of cooked soup in front of Ojiya City gymnasium, which became a shelter after the 2004 Chuetsu Earthquake in Niigata, Japan. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1200x600, 95 KB) 新潟県中越地震の避難所となった小千谷市総合体育館前で行われた炊き出し。ガスではなく薪を使っている。2004å¹´10月28日撮影。 Distribution of cooked soup in front of Ojiya City gymnasium, which became a shelter after the 2004 Chuetsu Earthquake in Niigata, Japan. ... Categories: Cities in Niigata Prefecture | Japan geography stubs ... The Japan Meteorological Agency seismic intensity scale (震度 shindo) is a measure used in Japan to indicate the strength of earthquakes. ... Kawaguchi (川口町; -machi) is a town located in Kitauonuma District, Niigata, Japan. ... The Richter magnitude test scale (or more correctly local magnitude ML scale) assigns a single number to quantify the size of an earthquake. ... Damage from the Great Hanshin Earthquake is kept intact at the Earthquake Memorial Park near the Port of Kobe. ... Port Tower at night For the basketball star Kobe Bryant go here. ...

A second earthquake occurred at 6:12 p.m. (16 minutes after the first). This one, at a much shallower depth, also caused a shindo of 6+ and had a magnitude of 5.9. A third, at 6:34, had a shindo of 6−. At 7:46, another shindo 6− earthquake occurred. Intervening and subsequent earthquakes of lesser intensity also shook the region. During the first 66 hours, 15 earthquakes with intensities of shindo 5− or higher rocked the Chuetsu region.

In a press release, the Geographical Survey Institute (GSI) of the Government of Japan published preliminary estimates that a fault having a length of 22 km and a width of 17 km moved approximately 1.4 m.

This was the deadliest earthquake to strike Japan since January 1995's Great Hanshin earthquake. 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Damage from the Great Hanshin Earthquake is kept intact at the Earthquake Memorial Park near the Port of Kobe. ...

Background

The shindo scale is a scale of intensity, like the Mercalli Intensity Scale. It provides information related to the severity of shaking at the earth's surface, where it affects structures. In contrast, the magnitude of the earthquake describes the energy released by the quake. The Mercalli Intensity Scale is a scale used to classify the intensity of an earthquake by examining its effects on people and structures at the Earths surface. ...

Niigata Prefecture is located in the Hokuriku region of Honshu, the largest island of Japan. The initial earthquake caused noticeable shaking across almost half of Honshu, including parts of the Tohoku, Hokuriku, Chubu, and Kanto regions. Hokuriku region (北陸地方, literally North Land) is the region along the Sea of Japan within the Chubu region, the central region of Honshu, the main island of Japan. ... todo mal de [ [ Shikoku ] ] a través del [ [ mar interior ] ], y noreste de [ [ Kyushu ] ] a través del [ [ estrecho de Kanmon ] ]. Es la séptima isla más grande, y la segunda isla populosa en el mundo después de [ [ Java (isla)|Java ] ] (véase [ [ lista de las islas de la población ] ]). < style=float del div... Tohoku region, Japan Cast-iron teapots like this one sit atop stoves during the long winters in Tohoku. ... Hokuriku region (北陸地方, literally North Land) is the region along the Sea of Japan within the Chubu region, the central region of Honshu, the main island of Japan. ... Chubu region, Japan Mount Fuji is the Chōbu regions most famous landmark. ... Kanto region, Japan The Kanto region (関東地方 Kantō-chihō) is a geographical area of Honshu, the largest island in Japan. ...

External links

• Geographical Survey Institute site (in English)
• GSI Press Release (in Japanese)
• Japan Meteorological Agency (in English)
• United States Geological Survey on the quake

• Earthquakes Kill 21, Hurt 2000 in Japan

• Toddler Found Alive 4 Days After Japan Quake