Death toll has continued to rise and almost 300 people have been injured after a strong earthquake hit Osaka on Monday morning rattling one of Japan’s industrial heartlands and halting trains and factories across the region.
The 6.1 magnitude earth quake is the strongest registered in Osaka under records which date back to 1923
Osaka is one of Japan’s bubbling cities known for its modern architecture, nightlife and hearty street food. The earth quake happened during the morning rush as Local residents were on their way to work.

The Aftermath of the earthquake:
All trains and subways across Osaka city were halted, power links and power stations were temporarily stopped.

Three people were confirmed dead, including a nine-year-old girl, who was reported to have died after a school wall fell on her. Close to 350 people suffered injuries, according to the government’s emergency and disaster task force.

While the quake appeared to spare the region of major infrastructural damage, the Meteorological Agency warned that strong aftershocks could occur, particularly in the next two to three days.

In 2016, the magnitude 7 earthquake that caused significant damage and multiple casualties in southern Kumamoto was preceded by a 6.7 magnitude aftershock which caused more destructions

How earth quakes happen…

Picture the earth like an egg with broken shells.

The earth is not a huge round smooth  ball like some of us think. It’s actually broken into large pieces ( a lot like puzzle pieces). Each piece is called a  Tetonic plate.

These pieces are moving constantly around an orbit – Most times gently without issues. But when they bump and grind against each other natural disasters happen.

When they grind against each other – it results in an earth quake. When they move away from each other under the sea it can cause a Tsunami and when they move on top of each other, it can cause a Volcanic eruption.

So earth quakes = movement of tetonic plates- See explainer video from National geographic channel.

Why Japan is at the center of so many earthquakes

“We were sleeping and it woke us up abruptly,” said Kate Kilpatrick, 19, who was staying in a hotel in Osaka when the quake hit.
Kilpatrick, visiting Japan for the first time from the United States, said alarms went off almost immediately in the hotel and a loudspeaker told guests to stay away from windows.

Japan and some Asian countries sits at a meeting point between many tectonic earth plates.
The plates are constantly sliding past, colliding into, or moving above or below each other. This movement results in deep ocean trenches, volcanic eruptions, and earthquake epicenters along the boundaries where the plates meet called fault lines.

Because of  constant movement of these tectonic plates  within these regions, the locations have been defined as The Ring of Fire .
75% of the world’s volcanoes and 90% of its earthquakes happen within the ring of fire.

United States, Canada, Mexico, Peru, Chile, New Zealand, Australia, Indonesia, Philippines, China, Japan, Korea, Russia are countries that fall within the ring of fire
Check out life science to view the most deadly earth quakes that have occurred in history around the ring of fire.
Earth quakes around the ring of fire

Earth quakes are measured on a scale of small tremors (2.0) Strong (4.0)    severe (7.0) and Violent (8.0).

Japan and China are building advanced earthquake homes and shelters