Great Hanshin earthquake
| 兵庫県南部地震 阪神・淡路大震災 | |
The damaged Kobe Route of the Hanshin Expressway | |
USGS ShakeMap | |
| UTC time | 1995-01-16 20:46:53 |
|---|---|
| ISC event | 124708 |
| USGS-ANSS | ComCat |
| Local date | January 17, 1995 |
| Local time | 05:46:53 JST |
| Duration | ~20 seconds |
| Magnitude | 7.3 MJMA 6.9 Mw |
| Depth | 17.6 km (10.9 mi) |
| Epicenter | 34°35′N 135°04′E / 34.59°N 135.07°E |
| Fault | Nojima |
| Type | Strike-slip |
| Areas affected | Japan |
| Total damage | US$200 billion (equivalent to $412.7 billion in 2024) |
| Max. intensity | JMA 7 (MMI XI–XII) |
| Peak acceleration | 0.91 g 891 gal |
| Casualties | 5,502–6,434 killed 36,896–43,792 injured 251,301–310,000 displaced |
The Great Hanshin Earthquake (阪神淡路大震災, Hanshin-Awaji daishinsai) occurred on January 17, 1995, at 05:46:53 JST in the southern part of Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan, including the region of Hanshin. It measured 6.9 on the moment magnitude scale and had a maximum intensity of 7 on the JMA Seismic Intensity Scale (XI–XII on the Modified Mercalli intensity scale). The tremors lasted for approximately 20 seconds. The focus of the earthquake was located 17 km beneath its epicenter, on the northern end of Awaji Island, 20 km away from the center of the city of Kobe.
At least 5,000 people died, about 4,600 of them from Kobe. Kobe, with its population of 1.5 million, was the closest major city to the epicenter and hit by the strongest tremors. It was Japan's second deadliest earthquake in the 20th century after the 1923 Great Kantō earthquake, in which more than 105,000 people died.