Geological evidence of recurrent great Kanto earthquakes at the Miura Peninsula, Japan

• Published in: Journal of Geophysical Research Vol. 116; no. B12
• Main Authors: Shimazaki, K., Kim, H. Y., Chiba, T., Satake, K.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Washington Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.12.2011
• Subjects: Cesium radioisotopes; Cores; dating AD 1060-1400; earthquake geology; Earthquakes; Geophysics; Gravel; Kanto earthquakes; Metropolitan areas; Plate tectonics; sedimentary structure; Seismic activity; Seismology; Tidal flats; tsunami deposits; Tsunamis; variable recurrence interval
• ISSN: 0148-0227; 2169-9313; 2156-2202; 2169-9356
• DOI: 10.1029/2011JB008639

The Tokyo metropolitan area's well‐documented earthquake history is dominated by the 1703 and 1923 great Kanto earthquakes produced by slip on the boundary between the subducting Philippine Sea plate and the overlying plate. Both earthquakes caused ∼1.5 m of uplift at the Miura Peninsula directly above the inferred fault rupture, and both were followed by tsunamis with heights of ∼5 m. We examined cores ∼2 m long from 8 tidal flat sites at the head of a small bay on the peninsula. The cores penetrated two to four layers of shelly gravel, as much as 0.5 m thick, with abundant shell fragments and mud clasts. The presence of gravel indicates strong tractive currents. Muddy bay deposits that bound the gravel layers show vertical changes in grain size and diatom assemblages consistent with abrupt shoaling at the times of the currents. The changes may further suggest gradual deepening of the bay during the intervals between the strong currents. We infer, based on 137Cs, 14C, and 210Pb dating, that the top two shelly gravel layers represent tsunamis associated with the 1703 and 1923 great Kanto earthquakes, and that the third layer was deposited by a tsunami during an earlier earthquake. The age range of this layer, AD 1060–1400, includes the time of an earthquake that occurred in 1293 according to a historical document. If so, the recurrence interval before the 1703 earthquake was almost twice as long as the interval between the 1703 and 1923 earthquakes. Key Points Identification of past three Kanto earthquakes based on sedimentary analysis Dating of three earthquakes Correlation of historical earthquake and interval