Active Fault and Earthquake Disasters

Abstract

An earthquake is a phenomenon caused by faulting; therefore, we focus on faults that could possibly be reactivated in the future, as active faults, to estimate potential earthquake disasters and their prevention. In order to assess the future activity of faults, it is worth noting the paleo-seismological history of faults wherein the tectonic regime has remained similar. Fault activity is subject to the geology and geomorphology of a region, but the concept and purpose of active fault research are also closely related to earthquake disaster prevention. Therefore, active faults are an important research theme in human geoscience, which is the study of how geoscience is related to human activity. Since the Kobe earthquake of 1995, the Japanese government began emphasizing active fault research as a factor in earthquake disaster prevention. Advances in research and technology have improved the quality and availability of active fault information and have made it possible to better understand co-seismic fault activity. The 2016 Kumamoto earthquake served as an opportunity to learn more about the relationship between active faults and earthquakes, and prompted some verification of the validity of the 21-year effort.