June 11, 2008
Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology

JAMSTEC Hosts
"Symposium for Assessment Study on Co-movement of
Tokai, Tonankai and Nankai Earthquake"
-Preparation for M8 Class Mega-thrust Earthquake
in Nankai Trough-

The Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC; Yasuhiro Kato, President) has commenced the research of the Nankai Trough Mega-thrust Earthquake (Tokai, Tonankai and Nankai Earthquake) aims at high-accuracy assessment of its scale and co-movement intervals, which is under the "Assessment Study of Co-movement for Tokai, Tonankai and Nankai Earthquake" (*) commissioned by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT).

For people’s further understanding of this research project, JAMSTEC will hold the symposium as described below.

Description

* Assessment Study of Co-movement of Tokai, Tonankai and Nankai Earthquake (commissioned by the MEXT):

It is a new 5-year project from 2008 to 2012 promoted by the MEXT to evaluate co-movement of the Nankai Trough Mega-thrust Earthquake, which is expected to cause devastating damages.

JAMSTEC is the representative research institute of Subproject 1, in which observational researches are going to be carried out for such as detail structure of possible seismic central area and crustal activity, and crustal activity model and medium model are going to be developed. Also, with the aim of improving accuracy of co-movement assessment, assessment of crustal change in the past, historical analysis and database establishment of earthquakes and tsunamis, sophistication of simulation researches, assessment of co-movement conditions, and development of seismic cycle simulation are to be conducted. (Other participating institutes are Kyoto University, the University of Tokyo, Tohoku University, Nagoya University, Kochi University, and the National Research Institute for Earth Science and Disaster Prevention.)

In Subproject 2, Tokyo University is the representative institute, researches to develop risk management based on the earthquake and tsunami hazard will be carried out as well as high-accuracy projection of earthquake motions and following tsunamis. (Other participating institutes are Nagoya University, Tohoku University, Kyoto University and the JAMSTEC.)

Contacts:

(For the symposium)

Yoshiyuki Kaneda,
Director, Development for Earthquakes and Tsunamis (DONET)
Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology

(For publication)

Noriyuki Murata, e-mail: press@jamstec.go.jp
Manager, Planning Department Press Office
Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology