Japan quake study sounds alarm at 'creeping fault' doctrine

You could do better with charts and figures, Japan Today.

Hot fluids acting as a lubricant to help the big slip occur ...... Phwoooar !

Seismologists say they have found clues as to why Japan’s 2011 mega-earthquake occurred on a fault previously deemed to be of little threat.

Yeah, and I know why! It is because, at this stage, it is impossible to predict earthquakes and the fact that a mega-quake occurred on a fault deemed stable proves that their methods of detection are flawed.

Yeah, and I know why! It is because, at this stage, it is impossible to predict earthquakes

True that! Gotta think the wages/salaries these scientists are on would be huge and what they're doing is tantamount to guess-work. Maybe I'm crazy but I think the powers that be should be employing engineers with an eye to divert tsunami waters safely, somehow.

It's inevitable , a large event will occur in the Tokyo Kanagawa area. The number of earthquakes has increase in the Tokyo Bay Area since the Big one probably because pressure has been transferred to that area which hasn't moved greatly for some period of time. Predicting when ?? Not likely ....

With the increased activity at Mount Fuji and recent numbers of earthquakes in the area it's a safe bet that it will occur, let's hope it's not that big and is released with numerous smaller movements instead of two big ones.

Hiroicci, there was a more detailed article in the LA Times about this recently.

The San Andreas fault is active at both the northern and southern ends, while the center is composed of the type of "creeping fault" discussed here. Conventional wisdom was that a creeping fault would not rupture - that if a rupture occurred at either the northern or southern ends, its spread would be dampened and halted by this central area.

That is, apparently, not always the case.

The result for California is a potentially much, much larger earthquake than has been predicted - one that could rip across the entire length of the fault, affecting basically the entire state. A ramification is emergency services; it had been considered that a major quake would be localized either in the north or the south, and thus, emergency services from the non-affected areas could be mobilized to help. Now it looks like California would be depending on Oregon and Washington states (not Arizona, of course - nobody can depend on them).

Lew Archie - yeah, geologists and seismologists are just raking in the dough, aren't they? Such thinking would have left us still considering that earthquakes are caused by catfish.

Evan Huzarmy & Lew Archie - These studies are very important. You need to learn and respect scientists. Every big company has R&D department and these scientists are R&D for their respective countries. Smart phones in your hand or any new technology is hard work of these people. And when you make fun of someone's studies then you better be more intelligent and capable than those scientists and you must have a better explaination of how and why such massive Tohoku earthquake occured. I dont work for R&D and I am not a scientist but atleast I dont mock on them. Good work Mr. Noda and Mr. Lapusta

I dont work for R&D and I am not a scientist but atleast I dont mock on them. Good work Mr. Noda and Mr. Lapusta

Thank you Waxman, well put. A little respect goes a long way.