View source for 2004 Chūetsu earthquake

{{Short description|Earthquake in Japan}}{{Infobox earthquake
| title = 2004 Chūetsu earthquake
| native_name = 新潟県中越地震
| native_name_lang = JA
| fault = Muikamachi Fault
| image = 中越地震 (12).jpg
| image_size = 270px
| timestamp = 2004-10-23 08:56:00
| anss-url = usp000d6vk
| isc-event = 7421058
| local-date = {{Start date|2004|10|23}}
| local-time = 17:56 [[Japan Standard Time]]
| map2 = {{Location map| Japan Niigata Prefecture#Japan
| lat_deg = 37
| lat_min = 17.5
| lat_sec = 
| lat_dir = N
| lon_deg = 138
| lon_min = 52.0
| lon_sec = 
| lon_dir = E
| label =
| label_size =
| position =
| background =
| mark = Bullseye1.png
| marksize = 40
| width = 270
| float = center
| border =
| caption =
| relief = yes
| alt =}}
| depth = 13&nbsp;km
| magnitude = 6.6 {{M|w|link=y}}<ref name="USGS" />
| countries affected = Japan, Niigata Prefecture
| casualties = 68 dead, 4,805 injured
| intensity = {{JMA|7|MMI|IX}}<ref name="USGS" />
| pga = 2.56 ''[[peak ground acceleration|g]]''
| pgv = 
}}
The {{nihongo|'''[[Chūetsu]] earthquakes'''|中越地震|Chūetsu jishin}} occurred in [[Niigata Prefecture]], Japan, at 17:56 [[Japan Standard Time|local time]] (08:56 [[Coordinated Universal Time|UTC]]) on Saturday, October 23, 2004. The [[Japan Meteorological Agency]] (JMA) named it the {{nihongo|"[[Heisei]] 16 Niigata Prefecture Chuetsu Earthquake"|平成16年新潟県中越地震|Heisei ju-roku-nen Niigata-ken Chuetsu Jishin}}.<ref name = "JMA Earthquake search results">[http://www.data.jma.go.jp/svd/eqdb/data/shindo/Event.php?ID=163777 震度データベース検索（地震別検索結果）] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201003070835/http://www.data.jma.go.jp/svd/eqdb/data/shindo/Event.php?ID=163777 |date=2020-10-03 }} Japan Meteorological Agency（Japanese） Retrieval 2018/04/03</ref><ref>[https://www.jma.go.jp/jma/press/0410/24a/name041024.pdf 平成16年10月23日 17時56分ころ発生した地震の命名について] PDF File. Japan Meteorological Agency（Japanese）Retrieval 2018/04/03</ref> Niigata Prefecture is located in the [[Hokuriku region]] of [[Honshu]], the largest island of Japan. The initial earthquake had a magnitude of 6.6 and caused noticeable shaking across almost half of Honshu, including parts of the [[Tōhoku region|Tōhoku]], [[Hokuriku region|Hokuriku]], [[Chūbu region|Chūbu]], and [[Kantō region]]s.

== Details ==
The first quake struck the Chuetsu area of Niigata Prefecture, Japan on the Muikamachi Fault zone,<ref>{{Cite web |title=六日町断層帯 {{!}} 地震本部 |url=https://www.jishin.go.jp/regional_seismicity/rs_katsudanso/f103_muikamachi/ |access-date=2024-01-02 |publisher=Headquarters for Earthquake Research Promotion}}</ref> with a reading of 7 on the Japanese ''[[Japan Meteorological Agency seismic intensity scale|shindo]]'' intensity scale at [[Kawaguchi, Niigata]].<ref name = "JMA Earthquake search results" /> The [[moment magnitude scale|moment magnitude]] of the earthquake is estimated at 6.6.<ref name="USGS">{{cite web |title=M 6.6 – 8&nbsp;km SSW of Ojiya, Japan |url=https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/usp000d6vk/executive |publisher=United States Geological Survey |access-date=8 July 2021}}</ref> For comparison, the [[Great Hanshin earthquake]], which devastated much of [[Kobe, Hyogo|Kobe]], measured 7 on the ''shindo'' scale, with a magnitude of 7.3.<ref>[http://www.data.jma.go.jp/svd/eqdb/data/shindo/Event.php?ID=132682 震度データベース検索（地震別検索結果）] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171020135117/http://www.data.jma.go.jp/svd/eqdb/data/shindo/Event.php?ID=132682 |date=2017-10-20 }} Japan Meteorological Agency（Japanese）Retrieval 2018/04/03</ref> The earthquake occurred at a depth of 15.8&nbsp;km. The JMA gave the coordinates of the earthquake as {{coord|37.3|N|138.8|E|display=inline,title|type:event_region:JP}}.

A second earthquake occurred at 18:11,<ref>[http://www.data.jma.go.jp/svd/eqdb/data/shindo/Event.php?ID=163803 震度データベース検索（地震別検索結果）] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180403234638/http://www.data.jma.go.jp/svd/eqdb/data/shindo/Event.php?ID=163803 |date=2018-04-03 }} Japan Meteorological Agency（Japanese）Retrieval 2018/04/03</ref> 16 minutes after the first. This one, at a much shallower depth, had a ''shindo'' intensity of 6+ and a magnitude of 5.9. A third, at 18:34, had a ''shindo'' intensity of 6−. At 19:45,<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20180403234737/http://www.data.jma.go.jp/svd/eqdb/data/shindo/Event.php?ID=163844 震度データベース検索（地震別検索結果）] Japan Meteorological Agency（Japanese）Retrieval 2018/04/03</ref> another intensity 6− earthquake occurred. Intervening and subsequent earthquakes of lesser intensity also shook the region. During the first 116 hours, 15 earthquakes with intensities of ''shindo'' 5− or higher rocked the Chuetsu region.<ref>[http://www.data.jma.go.jp/svd/eqev/data/gaikyo/keisetsu/kaisetsu200410291000.pdf 平成16年（2004年）新潟県中越地震について（第15報）]{{Dead link|date=August 2019 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} PDF File. Japan Meteorological Agency Date 2004/10/29, Retrieval 2018/04/03</ref>

In a press release, the Geographical Survey Institute (GSI) of the Government of Japan published preliminary estimates that a fault having a length of 22&nbsp;km and a width of 17&nbsp;km moved approximately 1.4&nbsp;m.

This was the deadliest earthquake to strike Japan since the January 1995 [[Great Hanshin earthquake]], until the [[2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami|2011 Tōhoku earthquake]].

This was also the first time a [[Snakebot|snake robot]] was used at a natural disaster site. A Souryu serpentine robot was used in a house in Nagaoka City that was damaged during this earthquake.<ref>{{cite book |last=Murphy |first=Robin |date=2014 |title=Disaster Robotics |publisher=MIT Press |page=26 |isbn=9780262027359}}
</ref>

== Seismic intensity ==
{| class="wikitable"
! style="white-space:nowrap" |[[Japan Meteorological Agency seismic intensity scale|Intensity]]
! style="white-space:nowrap" |Prefecture
!Location<ref>{{Cite web|title=震度データベース検索|url=https://www.data.jma.go.jp/svd/eqdb/data/shindo/index.html#20041023175600|access-date=2021-07-05|publisher=Japan Meteorological Agency}}</ref><ref>[https://www.jma.go.jp/jma/kishou/books/saigaiji/saigaiji_200407.pdf 災害時地震速報 平成16年新潟県中越地震] – [[気象庁]]</ref>
|-
! style="background-color:#B40068" |<span style="color:#fff;">7</span>
|[[Niigata Prefecture|Niigata]]
|[[Kawaguchi, Niigata|Kawaguchi]]
|-
! style="background-color:#a50021" |<span style="color:#fff;">6+</span>
|Niigata
|[[Ojiya, Niigata|Ojiya]], [[Yamakoshi, Niigata|Yamakoshi]], [[Oguni, Niigata|Oguni]]
|-
! style="background-color:#ff2800" |<span style="color:#fff;">6-</span>
|Niigata
|[[Nagaoka, Niigata|Nagaoka]], [[Tokamachi]], [[Tochio]], [[Koshiji, Niigata|Koshiji]], [[Mishima, Niigata|Mishima]], [[Horinouchi, Niigata|Horinouchi]], [[Hirokami, Niigata|Hirokami]], [[Sumon, Niigata|Sumon]], [[Irihirose, Niigata|Irihirose]], [[Kawanishi, Niigata|Kawanishi]], [[Nakasato, Niigata|Nakasato]], [[Kariwa]] 
|}

== List of major aftershocks ==
The following is a list of major earthquakes that have occurred in Niigata Prefecture since October 23, 2004:
{| class="wikitable sortable"
!Date
![[Japan Standard Time|Japan Time]]
!Depth
!<abbr>Max.</abbr> [[Japan Meteorological Agency seismic intensity scale|intensity]]
!Magnitude
!Note
|-
| rowspan="10" |2004-10-23
|'''17:56'''
|'''13&nbsp;km'''
|'''{{JMA|7}}'''
| style="background-color:#ff9600" |'''M6.8'''
|[[Mainshock]]
|-
|17:59
|16&nbsp;km
| {{JMA|5+}}
| style="background-color:#ffc800" |M5.3
| rowspan="17" |[[Aftershock]]
|-
|18:03
|9&nbsp;km
| {{JMA|5+}}
| style="background-color:#ff9600" |M6.3
|-
|18:07
|15&nbsp;km
| {{JMA|5+}}
| style="background-color:#ffc800" |M5.7
|-
|18:11
|12&nbsp;km
| {{JMA|6+}}
| style="background-color:#ff9600" |M6.0
|-
|18:34
|14&nbsp;km
| {{JMA|6+}}
| style="background-color:#ff9600" |M6.5
|-
|18:36
|7&nbsp;km
| {{JMA|5-}}
| style="background-color:#ffc800" |M5.1
|-
|18:57
|8&nbsp;km
| {{JMA|5+}}
| style="background-color:#ffc800" |M5.3
|-
|19:36
|11&nbsp;km
| {{JMA|5-}}
| style="background-color:#ffc800" |M5.3
|-
|19:45
|12&nbsp;km
| {{JMA|6-}}
| style="background-color:#ffc800" |M5.7
|-
|2004-10-24
|14:21
|11&nbsp;km
| {{JMA|5+}}
| style="background-color:#ffc800" |M5.0
|-
| rowspan="2" |2004-10-25
|0:28
|10&nbsp;km
| {{JMA|5-}}
| style="background-color:#ffc800" |M5.3
|-
|6:04
|15&nbsp;km
| {{JMA|5+}}
| style="background-color:#ffc800" |M5.8
|-
|2004-10-27
|10:40
|12&nbsp;km
| {{JMA|6-}}
| style="background-color:#ff9600" |M6.1
|-
|2004-11-4
|8:57
|18&nbsp;km
| {{JMA|5+}}
| style="background-color:#ffc800" |M5.2
|-
|2004-11-8
|11:15
|0&nbsp;km
| {{JMA|5+}}
| style="background-color:#ffc800" |M5.9
|-
|2004-11-10
|3:43
|5&nbsp;km
| {{JMA|5-}}
| style="background-color:#ffc800" |M5.3
|-
|2004-12-28
|18:30
|8&nbsp;km
| {{JMA|5-}}
| style="background-color:#ffc800" |M5.0
|}

== Damage ==
[[File:Chuetsu earthquake-myouken2.jpg|thumb|left|Road damaged by landslide]]
[[File:Chuetsu earthquake-earthquake liquefaction1.jpg|thumb|Damaged road in [[Ojiya, Niigata|Ojiya]], October 2004|left]]
As late as November 3, the 39th fatality attributable to the earthquakes occurred as perceptible aftershocks continued. 68 dead and 4,795 injuries were reported in Niigata Prefecture.<ref>[http://www.fdma.go.jp/bn/data/010909231403014084.pdf 平成16年（2004年）新潟県中越地震（確定報）] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110523044116/http://www.fdma.go.jp/bn/data/010909231403014084.pdf |date=2011-05-23 }} Fire and Disaster Management Agency（Japanese）Data 2009/10/21 Retrieval 2018/04/03</ref> Over one hundred thousand people fled their homes. The earthquakes caused houses to collapse in Ojiya and damaged thousands in the area. 

[[File:Chuetsu earthquake-jieitai2.jpg|thumb|Disaster relief convoy of the [[Japan Self-Defense Forces]]]]
For the first time in its 40-year history, a [[Shinkansen]] train derailed while in service, the train being too close to the epicentre to be halted by the automatic UrEDAS earthquake detection system.<ref>[https://spectrum.ieee.org/a-brief-history-of-earthquake-warnings A brief history of earthquake warnings ''IEEE Spectrum'' 2007]</ref> Eight out of ten cars of the ''[[Toki (train)|Toki]]'' 325 service (a [[200 Series Shinkansen]] train) derailed on the [[Joetsu Shinkansen]] line between [[Nagaoka Station]] in [[Nagaoka, Niigata|Nagaoka]] and [[Urasa Station]] in [[Yamato, Niigata|Yamato]]; no injuries were reported among the 155 passengers. The railbed, bridges and tunnels were all affected. [[East Japan Railway Company]] (JR East) stopped all trains in Niigata Prefecture, including the extensively damaged [[Joetsu Line]], [[Shinetsu Main Line]], [[Iiyama Line]], [[Tadami Line]] and [[Echigo Line]]. Part of Nagaoka Station appeared ready to collapse as a result of an aftershock, but after a brief closure, the station reopened. 

[[File:Chuetsu earthquake-takidashi.jpg|thumb|Soup distributed to people left homeless by the earthquake]]
The section of the Joetsu Shinkansen between [[Echigo-Yuzawa Station]] and Tsubame-Sanjo Station closed. Buses transferred passengers between the two operating sections of the line: [[Tokyo Station]] to Echigo-Yuzawa Station and Tsubame-Sanjo Station to [[Niigata Station]].

[[File:Joetsu Shinkansen derailed by the 2004 Chuetsu Earthquake 20041024.png|thumb|Joetsu Shinkansen train derailed by the earthquake|left]]
On December 27, 2004, service resumed on all remaining parts of the Joetsu and Iiyama Lines reopened. On December 28, 2004, the Joetsu Shinkansen also reopened, the last to do so.

[[Japan Highway Public Corporation|Japan Highways]] closed all expressways in Niigata Prefecture. Closures affected the [[Kanetsu Expressway]] and the [[Hokuriku Expressway]]. As of November 4, the Kanetsu Expressway remained closed between Nagaoka Interchange and Koide Interchange. This segment reopened on November 5.

Landslides and other problems forced closure of two national highways, [[Japan National Route 8|National Route 8]] and [[Japan National Route 17|National Route 17]], as well as several prefectural roads. This isolated several localities, including nearly the entire [[Villages of Japan|village]] of [[Yamakoshi, Niigata|Yamakoshi]], which was then a village in the district of [[Koshi District, Niigata|Koshi]] but since merged with and became part of the city of [[Nagaoka, Niigata|Nagaoka]]. On July 22, 2005, the government lifted the nine-month-old evacuation order for 528 of the 690 affected households.

The earthquakes also caused a landslide that partially buried three vehicles. A young boy was rescued from one of these vehicles, but his mother and sister died. (Recent typhoons had waterlogged the soil, making landslides more likely.)

The quake broke water mains. Extensive electric power, telephone (including cellular telephone) and Internet outages were reported. The cellular telephone system suffered from direct damage to relay stations, as well as depletion of battery back-up power supplies in as little as a day.

==Aftermath==
The earthquake led to the cancellation of an episode of ''[[Pokémon: Advanced Battle]]'', the eighth season of the [[Pokémon_(TV_series)|Pokémon animated series]]. The episode, originally scheduled to air on November 4, 2004, would have featured multiple Whiscash causing an earthquake. The episode never aired in Japan or anywhere else in the world, and the move "Earthquake" was no longer featured in the animated series.

On April 1, 2007, the directive to evacuate five settlements in the former village of [[Yamakoshi, Niigata|Yamakoshi]] (later part of the city of [[Nagaoka, Niigata|Nagaoka]]) was lifted. Residents were permitted to return to their homes after a span of nearly two and a half years.

The movie ''[[A Tale of Mari and Three Puppies]]'' was based on events that took place during this earthquake.

==History==
[[Niigata Prefecture]] has been hit by numerous earthquakes in recorded history. Notable recent ones include a large [[1964 Niigata earthquake|quake on June 16, 1964]] that had a magnitude of 7.5, killing 28, where major [[soil liquefaction|liquefaction]] had occurred and [[tsunami]] destroyed the port of Niigata city.

A similar event was the [[2007 Chūetsu offshore earthquake]], also striking shortly after major [[typhoon]]s passed by, causing complications.

==See also==
*[[List of earthquakes in 2004]]
*[[List of earthquakes in Japan]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20041026003222/http://www.gsi.go.jp/WNEW/PRESS-RELEASE/2004/1024.htm GSI Press Release (in Japanese)]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20041206012534/http://yahoo.usatoday.com/news/world/2004-10-23-japan-earthquake_x.htm?csp=1 Earthquakes Kill 21, Hurt 2000 in Japan]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070708005748/http://www.ce.washington.edu/~liquefaction/html/quakes/niigata/niigata.html 1964 Niigata quake]
* {{EQ-isc-link|7421058}}
* [https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/4985/niigata-japan Niigata, Japan] (Publication regarding the earthquakes) – [[NASA Earth Observatory]]

{{Earthquakes in 2004}}
{{Earthquakes in Japan}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chuetsu Earthquake, 2004}}
[[Category:2004 disasters in Japan]]
[[Category:Chūbu region]]
[[Category:Earthquakes of the Heisei era|2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami]]
[[Category:2004 earthquakes]]
[[Category:2004 in Japan]]
[[Category:Hokuriku region]]
[[Category:History of Niigata Prefecture]]
[[Category:October 2004 in Japan]]
[[Category:Landslides in Japan]]
[[Category:Shindo 7 earthquakes]]