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USGS · 70185571

Geotechnical aspects of the 2016 MW 6.2, MW 6.0, and MW 7.0 Kumamoto earthquakes

Robert E. Kayen·Shideh Dashti·T. Kokusho·H. Hazarika·Kevin Franke·N. K. Oettle·Brad Wham·Jenny Ramirez Calderon·Dallin Briggs·Samantha Guillies·Katherine Cheng·Yutaka Tanoue·Katsuji Takematsu·Daisuke Matsumoto·Takayuki Morinaga·Hideo Furuichi·Yuuta Kitano·Masanori Tajiri·Babloo Chaudhary·Kengo Nishimura·Chu Chu
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Abstract

The 2016 Kumamoto earthquakes are a series of events that began with an earthquake of moment magnitude 6.2 on the Hinagu Fault on April 14, 2016, followed by another foreshock of moment magnitude 6.0 on the Hinagu Fault on April 15, 2016, and a larger moment magnitude 7.0 event on the Futagawa Fault on April 16, 2016 beneath Kumamoto City, Kumamoto Prefecture on Kyushu, Japan. These events are the strongest earthquakes recorded in Kyushu during the modern instrumental era. The earthquakes resulted in substantial damage to infrastructure, buildings, cultural heritage of Kumamoto Castle, roads and highways, slopes, and river embankments due to earthquake-induced landsliding and debris flows. Surface fault rupture produced offset and damage to roads, buildings, river levees, and an agricultural dam. Surprisingly, given the extremely intense earthquake motions, liquefaction occurred only in a few districts of Kumamoto City and in the port areas indicating that the volcanic soils were less susceptible to liquefying than expected given the intensity of earthquake shaking, a significant finding from this event.

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90° N90° S · 180° W ← longitude → 180° E
Source-reported bounding extent: 31.02958° to 45.55148° latitude; 129.40846° to 145.54314° longitude. This indicates report coverage, not an exact sampling location. View area on OpenStreetMap.

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Robert E. Kayen, Shideh Dashti, T. Kokusho, H. Hazarika, Kevin Franke, N. K. Oettle, Brad Wham, Jenny Ramirez Calderon, Dallin Briggs, Samantha Guillies, Katherine Cheng, Yutaka Tanoue, Katsuji Takematsu, Daisuke Matsumoto, Takayuki Morinaga, Hideo Furuichi, Yuuta Kitano, Masanori Tajiri, Babloo Chaudhary, Kengo Nishimura, Chu Chu. 2017. Geotechnical aspects of the 2016 MW 6.2, MW 6.0, and MW 7.0 Kumamoto earthquakes. https://pubs.usgs.gov/publication/70185571

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