April 8, 2018 Earthquake: Shimane Prefecture, Japan

Eight people injured, 224 buildings damaged, roads damaged, landslides occurred and water and power outages occurred at Oda. Izumo, Shimane, Japan - CDI: 6; Hikawa, Shimane, Japan - CDI: 5; Yonago, Tottori, Japan - CDI: 5; Zentsuji, Kagawa, Japan - CDI: 4; Higashihiroshima, Hiroshima, Japan - CDI: 4 (reference #13456)

Shimane Prefecture: Severe injury 2 people (Ota City), 6 minor injuries (2 Ota City, 3 Izumo City, 1 Okuizumo-cho). Building damage Shimane Prefecture: 429 buildings 428 Daejeon (Damage degree is being confirmed), Kawamoto Town 1 building (partially damaged). (reference #12098)

At just past 1:30 a.m. local time Monday morning, a M=5.6 (the Japan Meteorological Agency recorded it as a M=5.8) earthquake struck western Japan, near Oda, in the Shimane Prefecture, approximately 770 km west of Tokyo. Despite this quake's moderate magnitude, shaking was very strong. Three stations within 14 km (8 mi) recorded accelerations of 0.5-0.7 g, values normally associated with much larger earthquakes. There are probably two reasons for the severe shaking: the earthquake was very shallow (8km/5 mi) and Japan has a denser network of accelerometers than any other country on earth. This is an important reminder that small but frequent earthquakes can cause more damage over time than rare, great earthquakes. The M=5.6 earthquake resulted in minor injuries to at least five people, minor damage, including cracked roads, and some residents losing power and water in the city of 35,000 people. Additionally, there are some reports of small landslides in the area. Fortunately, no abnormalities were noted at the Shimane Nuclear Power Plant, which is northeast of the epicenter of the earthquake. (reference #12099)