Historic Earthquakes

Kobe, Japan
1995 January 16 UTC (local time January 17)
Magnitude 6.9

Date-Time 1995 01 16 20:46:52 UTC Location 34.58N 135.01E Depth 22.0 kilometers Magnitude 6.9 Region NEAR S. COAST OF WESTERN HONSHU Source USGS NEIC

Five thousand five hundred two people confirmed killed, 36,896 injured and extensive damage (VII JMA) in the Kobe area and on Awaji-shima. Over 90 percent of the casualties occurred along the southern coast of Honshu between Kobe and Nishinomiya. At least 28 people were killed by a landslide at Nishinomiya. About 310,000 people were evacuated to temporary shelters. Over 200,000 buildings were damaged or destroyed. Numerous fires, gas and water main breaks and power outages occurred in the epicentral area. Felt (VII JMA) along a coastal strip extending from Suma Ward, Kobe to Nishinomiya and in the Ichinomiya area on Awaji-shima; (V JMA) at Hikone, Kyoto and Toyooka; (IV JMA) at Nara, Okayama, Osaka and Wakayama; (V) at Iwakuni. Also felt (IV JMA) at Takamatsu, Shikoku. Right-lateral surface faulting was observed for 9 kilometers with horizontal displacement of 1.2 to 1.5 meters in the northern part of Awaji-shima. Liquefaction also occurred in the epicentral area.

• Location Map

• The Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake Statistics and Restoration Progress

• Stress transferred by the 1995 Mw=6.9 Kobe, Japan, shock: Effect on aftershocks and future earthquake probabilities

• Preliminary Map of Peak Horizontal Ground Acceleration for the Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake of January 17, 1995, Japan

• Hyougo-ken Nanbu (Kobe) Quake Facts from the University of California, Davis