1946 Nankai Earthquake

The 1946 Nankai Earthquake was a powerful earthquake that struck Japan’s Nankai region on December 21, 1946. It registered magnitude 8.1 and caused widespread destruction, including collapsed buildings, landslides, and a tsunami that affected coastal areas. The earthquake resulted from tectonic plates in the region slipping along the complex subduction zone where the Philippine Sea Plate moves beneath the Eurasian Plate. It caused over 1,000 deaths and significant damage, highlighting the seismic hazards of this active plate boundary and prompting improvements in Japan’s earthquake preparedness and response systems.