Over 470 earthquakes rattle Japanese island chain with active volcanoes

As many as 474 earthquakes have rattled an island chain with many active volcanoes in southern Japan since Saturday, June 21, the national weather agency said on Thursday. While no major damage was reported, the residents of the islands have been asked to remain vigilant.

As of Thursday morning, 474 such earthquakes had been observed around the Tokara island chain, south of Kyushu, the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) said.

In a statement, it said, “Seismic activity has increased. As this region has experienced extended periods of earthquake activity in the past, please be vigilant against earthquakes that cause strong shaking.”

The strongest of the 474 recorded earthquakes were two magnitude 5.1 tremors. Also Read | Earthquake news: Strong tremors of magnitude 6.1 jolt Kuril Islands

They had a seismic intensity of four on the Japanese scale – described as an earthquake in which "most people are startled", dishes rattle and “hanging objects such as lamps swing significantly”.

A comparable spike in seismic activity occurred in the Tokara area in September 2023, when 346 earthquakes were recorded over a 15-day period, according to public broadcaster NHK.

“An earthquake of up to magnitude-6 strength could take place, so please be vigilant,” Hisayoshi Yokose, a marine volcanology specialist and associate professor at Kumamoto University, told NHK.

Japan is among the world’s most seismically active nations, located at the intersection of four major tectonic plates along the western edge of the Pacific “Ring of Fire.”

The archipelago, home to around 125 million people, experiences around 1,500 jolts every year and accounts for around 18 percent of the world's earthquakes.

The vast majority are mild, although the damage they cause varies according to their location and the depth below the Earth's surface at which they strike.

(With agency inputs)