Powerful Earthquake in Kumamoto ....

[Joe Kirschvink]

Dear participants on the 2013 Japan Enrichment Trip,

FYI, my friend Hide Shibuya - who organized that beautiful joint excursion to Mt. Aso in Kyushu three years ago - responded to my e-mail yesterday saying he was OK after the nearby 6.4 and 6.2 earthquakes.  I made a bad joke, warning him that they might be foreshocks.

About one hour ago, a magnitude 7.1 strike-slip earthquake hit, and this time the epicenter was 1 km from the center of Kumamoto-shi.  I have not heard from him, but I suspect that there is severe damage in the area and all communications might be interrupted.  See:

http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/us20005iis#general 

Please pray for them, and show support for the terrified people of Kyushu!  It will happen to us some day.

Joe

*******************************************
Joseph L. Kirschvink, PhD, FRIN
Nico and Marilyn Van Wingen Professor of Geobiology
Division of Geological & Planetary Sciences
California Institute of Technology 170-25
1200 E. California Blvd., Pasadena, CA 91125
kirsc...@caltech.edu; 626-395-6136(o);  626-437-0398(cell); FAX 626-568-0935
Homepage: http://www.gps.caltech.edu/users/jkirschvink/ 
Current location of Kirschvink:  http://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/sbdb.cgi?sstr=Kirschvink