Tokyo told to prepare for massive earthquake

NEWSCORE
Last Updated: 8:56 AM, September 1, 2011
Posted: 8:55 AM, September 1, 2011
nypost.com

TOKYO -- Japanese scientists were warning Thursday that Tokyo could soon be hit by a massive earthquake, following a surge in seismic activity.

Seismologists at the University of Tokyo detected a huge increase in the number of small quakes in the tectonic plates below the capital.

And the scientists measuring the quakes did not rule out the possibility that a combination of earthquakes in two or more points in the earth's crust could unite -- doubling their destructive power.

The northeast of the country was devastated by a magnitude-9.1 quake in March, and some seismologists were calling on the government to revise its emergency planning, which is currently based on the assumption that any quake hitting Tokyo would have a maximum magnitude of 7.3.

"Because of the March 11 quake, the possibility of a big quake occurring in Tokyo has increased," according to Shinichi Sakai, assistant professor at the university's Earthquake Research Institute. "It is necessary to make preparations on the assumption that a big quake could come to Tokyo at any time and that the danger is greater than before."

A multiple mega-earthquake could lead to the deaths of almost 25,000 people, according to a government study last year. Around 20,000 people were left missing or dead following the March earthquake and tsunami.