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Japan’s deadliest fault line shifts, frustrating megaquake forecasts

Japan’s deadliest fault line shifts, frustrating megaquake forecasts
South China Morning Post Thursday 23 July 2026, 07:46 UTC By SCMP’s Asia desk 1 min read
Key Points

A Japanese study has found that the locked zone in the Nankai Trough is not permanent but changes over time, further complicating the task of predicting megaquakes along the fault line. A locked zone is where tectonic plates merge, allowing stress to build up until it is released in an earthquake. In the case of the 900km (560-mile) long Nankai Trough off Japan’s Pacific coast, it is where the Philippine plate meets the Eurasian plate.

A Japanese study has found that the locked zone in the Nankai Trough is not permanent but changes over time, further complicating the task of predicting megaquakes along the fault line. A locked zone is where tectonic plates merge, allowing stress to build up until it is released in an earthquake. In the case of the 900km (560-mile) long Nankai Trough off Japan’s Pacific coast, it is where the Philippine plate meets the Eurasian plate. The Philippine plate is slipping under the Eurasian plate at...
Japan (LOCATION) Japanese (ORG) the Nankai Trough (LOCATION) Pacific coast (LOCATION) Philippine (ORG) Eurasian (ORG)
Originally published by South China Morning Post Read original →

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