1995 Kobe, Japan Quake
This 6.9 Magnitude earthquake on January 16, 1995 in Kobe, Japan caused
extensive damage and loss of life. It has been studied extensively, especially
in relation to the Northridge Earthquake in Southern California, almost exactly
one year earlier. Both earthquakes had similar magnitudes and resulted from
similar faults. The damage in Kobe, however was much worse than in Northridge.
One major difference was in the different construction of buildings in California
and Japan. Many buildings in Kobe were older and had heavy tile roofs that
collapsed on the occupants. In California, most houses are wooden. These
houses shook but generally did not collapse.
-
USGS page on the Kobe Earthquake
The USGS does a great job of presenting a summary of the quake that is understandable to the lay person and presents all the basic scientific information. -
Kobe Report on the Earthquake
The City of Kobe webpage on the disaster and reconstruction. - Here are 4 dramatic Kobe Quake pictures
- Kobe city index of quake photos