Seismic Hazard Map, Japan
Japan is a combination of several island arcs related to various subduction zones, stretching from the Kurile Islands in the northeast to the Ryukyu chain in the south. Great thrust earthquakes can strike almost all of Japan, except in the area between Osaka and Yokohama, which is a transform regime. The Kobe quake of 1995 was such a transform event.
Volcanoes are a local hazard over much of Japan, too. Learn more about how subduction zones are related to arc volcanism here.
Learn the story behind this historic map. Map from Global Seismic Hazard Assessment Program.
