Strain on tectonic plates under Japan’s Hyuganada Sea causes earthquakes

TOKYO: Strain accumulating at the boundary between tectonic plates under the Hyuganada Sea off Miyazaki Prefecture has caused earthquakes of magnitude 7 or greater five times since 1931, before the latest one on Thursday (Aug 8).

The Hyuganada Sea, where Thursday’s earthquake occurred, is on the western edge of the likely epicenter of a possible Nankai Trough earthquake.