Japan Meteorological Agency to Check Seismograph after Seismic Intensity of Lower 6 Measured Only in Shika (Update 1)

The Yomiuri Shimbun

8:22 JST, January 7, 2024 (updated at 15:40 JST)

The Japan Meteorological Agency announced Saturday night that a seismic intensity of lower 6 was measured in Shika, Ishikawa Prefecture, due to a magnitude 4.3 earthquake that occurred the same night. However, there were gaps in seismic intensity between Shika and surrounding areas, the agency explained early Sunday, saying this was due to the quake occurring extremely close to the seismograph. The quake measured a seismic intensity of 3 in Nanao and Wajima of the prefecture.

To investigate this gap, the agency will send officials to the Noto Peninsula to check if there are problems with the seismograph. The quake’s epicenter was off the peninsula and the hypocenter was about five kilometers deep.

At a press conference started at 1:30 a.m. Sunday, Noriko Kamaya, director of seismology and tsunami monitoring division of the agency, said, “The duration of tremor measured was for only two to three seconds. It is difficult to feel such tremor [for people] unless it lasts longer.”

The agency announced observing a seismic intensity of 3 in the Noto region at 11:21 p.m. on Saturday but announced a seismic intensity of lower 6 in Shika shortly after at 11:36 p.m. due to the quake.

Kamaya added, “The seismic intensity [in Shika] was larger than the neighboring areas, which is a slightly unusual situation.”

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