A look into the aftermath of Japan's New Year’s Day earthquake

A powerful earthquake, with a measured moment magnitude of M_w = 7.5, struck Japan on January 1, 2024, causing widespread destruction, mainly on the Noto Peninsula, while a tsunami with a height of more than a meter came to strike the region following the event.

The complete picture of the earthquake’s aftermath has not been drawn yet, but reports so far indicate that more than 120 people have lost their lives in the events, while more than 100 people still remain unaccounted for, and at least 500 have been injured.

In addition to the loss of life, the earthquake also caused great material damage, with more than a thousand landslides reported in the Noto Peninsula, where roughly 1,500 homes were seriously damaged or destroyed, and thousands more were left without water or electricity.

Reports from various news outlets have been made of about 30,000 people accommodated in government shelters.

From a geotechnical perspective, numerous footage shows the aftermath of the events, while a selection is presented in the media section below. The most notable moment caught on video is some residents’ escape from a landslide in Wajima, while photographs show destroyed roads, houses and a seven-story building toppled over.

According to an article in Japanese, the seven-story building shown toppled over in the pictures is located in the city center of Wajima, and was constructed in 1972, reaching a height of about 20 meters. The article states that the structure also included a basement level and was founded on footings resting on piles which tilted and came loose from shaking.

The aforementioned building fell on its side, crushing its neighboring three-story building, while five more relatively old buildings in the city are said to have tilted by 0.4 to 4 degrees.

Finally, the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) has issued a cautionary statement regarding heavy rainfall and snow in some areas, which could potentially trigger more landslides in the earthquake weakened ground of some areas.