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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
Science
Vishwam Sankaran

Why the Kumamoto earthquake is unusual compared to most tremors that hit Japan

The devastating 6.8-magnitude earthquake that struck southwest Japan’s Kumamoto on Tuesday, killing 13 people and injuring hundreds, resulted from a relatively rarer type of inland seismic activity, scientists say.

At about 4.27pm local time, the quake struck the island of Kyushu in southern Japan, with its epicentre traced to Kumamoto Prefecture.

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