Release date: April 22, 2016 (JST)
The M6.5 and M7.3 Kumamoto Earthquakes on April 14 and 16, 2016
An M6.5 earthquake occurred in Kumamoto Prefecture, Kyushu, southwestern Japan, at 21:26 JST on April 14, 2016. It was generated on a right-lateral strike-slip fault, northern part of the Hinagu fault zone. Following this earthquake, a larger earthquake of M7.3 occurred at 1:25 JST on April 16, 2016 on the Futagawa fault zone, which is the northern neighbor of the Hinagu fault zone.
The Geological Survey of Japan (GSJ) set up the Emergency Survey Headquarters on April 15 to conduct systematic responses. The updated survey and research results are reported on the GSJ Japanese site;
Correction History
October 28, 2021 (JST); Change link destination
April 22, 2016 (JST); Fixed a typographical error