Unruptured Fault from 2016 Likely Behind Powerful Japan Temblor: Experts The latest earthquake to strike south western Japan on July 28 has left many wondering if the region is finally running out of seismic steam.
The magnitude 7. 1 quake, which hit Kumamoto Prefecture just days after a series of tremors, has experts pointing to an unruptured fault line from the devastating twin quakes of 2016. The 2016 earthquakes, measuring 6.
5 and 7. 3 on Japan's seismic intensity scale, were some of the most destructive in recent memory, leaving over 270 people dead.