Copyright Information: All images are in the public domain and available for free. If you use this image, credit NOAA/NGDC, Dr. Roger Hutchison. |
The fifth floor totally collapsed on this high rise in the commercial section of Kobe. Many buildings had either a collapsed first or fifth floor. Such floor failures often occurred in buildings that appeared from the outside to have floors of equal strength and identical construction. The first and fifth floors were especially vulnerable since they were at the internodes of the sine wave. Image Credit: Dr. Roger Hutchison. January 16, 1995 Hanshin-Awaji (Kobe) Japan earthquake On the morning of January 17, 1995 (January 16 at 20:46 GMT), a major earthquake occurred near the City of Kobe, Japan. The greatest intensity of shaking for the 6.9 magnitude earthquake was in a narrow corridor of two to four kilometers stretching 40 km along the coast of Osaka Bay. The worst destruction ran along the previously undetected fault on the coast, east of Kobe. Kobe's major businesses and port facilities, and residences are located on this strip. This earthquake caused 5,480 deaths, and totally destroyed more than 192,000 houses and buildings. Event Data:
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