Niseko misses local quake

It was caused by movement in a well known tectonic plate (the Urakawa Oki plate) associated with many of northern Japan’s larger earthquakes.

The same area was rocked by a massive magnitude 8 quake in September 2003, although little damage was reported due to the lack of development in the area. Hidaka is well known for its thoroughbred horse studs and training centres and is lightly populated.

While Japan is perched on the edge of the 'Pacific Ring of Fire', where 90% of the world's earthquakes occur, Niseko is not very quake prone.

The only records The Cable can find about earthquakes in the Kutchan area show that in 1940 there was one of roughly magnitude 5 on the Richter scale (4 on the Japanese shindo scale) just north of Niseko at 44 degrees north latitude (Niseko is 42 degrees north).

There wasn't much damage from that quake, but it triggered a 2m tsunami which struck the west coast of Hokkaido and killed 10 people.

The worst earthquake in Japanese history struck Tokyo and Yokohama in 1923, killing more than 100,000 people. Its magnitude was estimated to be somewhere between 7.9 and 8.4.

The most devastating recent quake hit the city of Kobe, near Osaka, in 1995. It measured 7.2 and killed more than 6000 people. 100,000 houses were destroyed and hundreds of thousands more damaged.

While the Richter scale measures the total magnitude of a quake, the Japanese Meteorological Agency (JMA) shindo scale describes the degree of shaking that occurs at a given point - apparently based purely on observation.

According to the JMA, a rating of less than 1 is 'imperceptible to people';  2 is 'Felt by many people in the building. Some sleeping people awakened'; during a 4 'Many people are frightened. Some people try to escape from danger. Most sleeping people are awakened. Hanging objects swing considerably and dishes in a cupboard rattle. Unstable ornaments fall occasionally'; while all hell breaks loose at 7  - people are 'thrown by the shaking and (it is) impossible to move at will' and 'Most furniture moves to a large extent and some jumps up'.

To see the complete table click here.