The 1894 Shōnai earthquake () is an

earthquake An earthquake (also known as a quake, tremor or temblor) is the shaking of the surface of the Earth resulting from a sudden release of energy in the Earth's lithosphere that creates seismic waves. Earthquakes can range in intensity, from ...

occurred on October 22, 1894 at Sakata,

Yamagata Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku region of Honshu. Yamagata Prefecture has a population of 1,079,950 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of 9,325 km² (3,600 sq mi). Yamagata Prefecture borders Akita Prefecture to the north, ...

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

. It was caused by the movement of the Shonai Plain Eastern Margin Fault Zone (庄内平野東縁断層帯).

Damage

According to the official confirmed report, 14,118 houses and buildings were damaged and 2,148 were burned. There were 726 fatalities and 8,403 injuries in the damaged area. A large-scale fire broke out in Sakata, and around the Shonai plain area, many instances of cracked earth, sinking ground, sand boils, and fountains were observed.

References

1894 earthquakes October 1894 events 1894 in Japan Earthquakes of the Meiji period 1894 disasters in Japan {{Asia-earthquake-stub