The 2017 Pohang earthquake, measuring magnitude 5.4 on the

moment magnitude scale The moment magnitude scale (MMS; denoted explicitly with or Mw, and generally implied with use of a single M for magnitude) is a measure of an earthquake's magnitude ("size" or strength) based on its seismic moment. It was defined in a 1979 pape ...

, struck

Heunghae Heunghae is a town, or '' eup'' in Buk-gu, Pohang, North Gyeongsang Province, South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sh ...

Pohang Pohang () is a city in the province of North Gyeongsang, South Korea, and a main seaport in the Daegu-Gyeongbuk region. The built-up area of Pohang is located on the alluvium of the mouth of the Hyeongsan River. The city is divided into two ...

North Gyeongsang Province North Gyeongsang Province ( ko, 경상북도, translit=Gyeongsangbuk-do, ) is a province in eastern South Korea. The province was formed in 1896 from the northern half of the former Gyeongsang province, and remained a province of Korea until the ...

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korean Peninsula and sharing a land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed by the Yellow Sea, while its eas ...

on November 15, 2017. It is tied with the 2016 Gyeongju earthquake as the country's strongest earthquake in modern history.

Earthquake

The earthquake, along with several aftershocks, caused significant infrastructure damage in the southern port city of Pohang. At least 82 people were injured in the earthquake, including 15 people who were hospitalized. About 1,124 people stayed in temporary shelters after they had to leave their homes. File:2017 Pohang earthquake.svg , Aftershocks of the earthquake 2017 Pohang earthquake intensity map.jpg, Shakemap for the earthquake 2017 Pohang earthquake car damage.jpg, Crumbled walls piled on damaged cars in

Result

According to an initial assessment by the

Ministry of the Interior and Safety The Ministry of the Interior and Safety (MOIS, ) is a branch of the Government of South Korea. The headquarters are in Sejong City. It is responsible for national administration, management of government organizations, and e-government. Furthermo ...

, the earthquake damaged 2,165 private properties, including 1,988 private houses. Of those, 52 homes suffered severe damage and 157 suffered serious damage. Damage was also reported at 227 schools across the region, 107 of them in Pohang, 44 in

Ulsan Ulsan (), officially the Ulsan Metropolitan City is South Korea's seventh-largest metropolitan city and the eighth-largest city overall, with a population of over 1.1 million inhabitants. It is located in the south-east of the country, neighboring ...

and 26 in Daegu. Furthermore, damage was reported at 79 public offices and parks, 23 port facilities, 7 roads, 90 shops, 77 factories, and 11 bridges. Nearly 20,000 people, including soldiers, were mobilized to help clear debris and to assist in restoration works. More than 80 percent of damaged properties were restored within 4 days of the initial earthquake. A seismograph installed nearby epicenter of this earthquake measured peak ground acceleration (PGA) of 0.58 g; Due to Pohang City's poor subsoil area, seismic wave amplified while passing through, making the damage somewhat heavier than the 5.8 magnitude 2016 Gyeongju earthquake. 0.58 '' g'' of PGA is about equivalent to MMI Intensity VIII to IX. The mainly caused fault of this earthquake was under debate; initially Yangsan Fault was thought to be the cause of this earthquake, however days later Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) announced that Jangsa fault - a branch fault of Yangsan fault - is main cause of the earthquake. However, Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources (KIGAM) analyzed that the unknown fault caused this earthquake. Water injection in the ground by the geothermal plant in Pohang might have also triggered the earthquake. The College Scholastic Ability Test was delayed by one week both to change testing sites and allow nerves a chance to relax from the quake.

References

External links

* {{Earthquakes in 2017 2017 earthquakes Earthquakes in South Korea 2017 disasters in South Korea November 2017 events in South Korea Pohang

Earthquake

Result

See also

References

External links