The earthquake fault beneath the Tokyo metropolis is much shallower than previously thought and thus potentially more dangerous, according to a report in Science magazine released Friday.
According to the report, a joint study conducted by the University of Tokyo's Earthquake Research Institute, Chiba University and other institutions shows the depth of the inland fault, which produced the 1923 Great Kanto Earthquake, may be about 17 km shallower than previously estimated.
"A shallower earthquake source fault means that shaking in the event of a quake will be stronger," said Hiroshi Sato, a geology professor at the Earthquake Research Institute who led the study. "So estimates of anticipated damage in the metropolitan area should be reviewed."