Earthquake first hand in Japan

ways), and water, gas and electricity disruptions. Many people were without running water and gas for several days.

Since this was a work day, people were forced to go to work in taxis or on foot, as trains stopped running. Some people could not make it to work or school as trains were delayed for almost eight hours. School children were either given the day off or were kept in school gyms while their school buildings were checked for safety.

Despite earthquakes frequently happening in this beautiful country, each time is as terrifying as the last. The Japanese are a stoic race, and learn to endure hardships from a young age. Instead of talking about their fear they go about their daily lives without bothering other people - and instead, they suffer at night, where anxiety and stress cause them to lose sleep.

Why do earthquakes occur?

The surface of the earth is made of several plates ( tectonic plates) that are constantly moving. Earthquakes are caused by the rubbing or knocking of these tectonic plates along a fault line - the place where the surfaces of both plates come into contact with each other. Tsunamis occur when this movement happens under water.

Usually the rubbing of tectonic plates is so gentle that we can’t feel it. It’s only every so often that we will feel it - and when we do, earthquakes can be so severe as to be felt thousands of kilometres from their epicentres. Earthquake activity is measured on the Richter scale (1 – 9) earthquakes registering above 5 can cause damage to buildings.

Japan is located in the Pacific Ring of Fire - an area of the world that experiences almost 90% of the world’s earthquakes and contains 75% of all active volcanos. Japan experiences earthquakes almost every day, but these earthquakes are either felt very slightly, or not at all. Unfortunately, every so often, Japan experiences a huge earthquake that not only kills people, but also destroys buildings and infrastructure.

It was my first big earthquake. It’s been over two weeks now and I still suffer from phantom shaking, where I think the ground is shaking but it’s not. Whenever I hear a loud noise, I get scared and cover my head with my arms. As aftershocks continue to plague the area, all I can do is wait them out – and hope that another big quake does not come on in the near future!

(The writer could be contacted on the following email

address Sanjiva.wijesinha@med.monash.edu.au )