Investigation of the mechanism of the earthquake in Japan

Japanese and international scientists will conduct exploration, studying the mechanism of the March 11 earthquake in the country that has killed tens of thousands of people.

The research team, with the participation of experts from the Japan Sea-Earth Science and Technology Agency (JAMSTEC), together with scientists from the US and 22 other countries, will begin conducting activities. Dynamic research in 2012.

Under the program, the international team will use the Chikyu exploration drilling rig to drill underground at a depth of 1,000 meters, to the contiguous area between the two tectonic plates that caused the earthquake. This is the first step in understanding the mechanism that caused this earthquake.

According to the plan, the drilling site is located at a location off Miyagi Prefecture that has the largest tectonic plate movement at the time of the earthquake. The scientists will measure the temperature of the rock and study the temperature distortions to find out which faults are moving at the time of the earthquake.

The team will also learn about the movement and velocity of the faults, and analyze the stability of two tectonic plates before the earthquake.

Currently, scientists have identified two tectonic plates in the area that have moved more than 20m near the Japan Trench (Japan Trench) . However, they still do not understand why these two tectonic plates are so shifted.