Scientists warn of years of aftershocks in Japan, and risks on other faults

Japan won't stop shaking. One month after the horrific March 11 earthquake and tsunami, the island was rattled anew by aftershocks: A magnitude-6.6 quake on Monday was followed by a 6.3 quake on Tuesday. Monday's quake was strong enough to knock out electricity briefly at the damaged Fukushima nuclear plant. Four days earlier, a magnitude-7.1 quake led to four deaths and widespread power outages. With soldiers still looking for the bodies of thousands of people who vanished a month ago, Japan is coping with the painful reality that it sits in a seismic bull's eye. Now scientists are warning that the March 11 event not only will lead to years of aftershocks but also might have increased the risk of a major quake on an adjacent fault. A new calculation by American and Japanese scientists concluded that the March 11 event heightened the strain on a number of faults bracketing the ruptured segment of the Japan Trench....Read More...