Subduction of the Philippine Plate under the Eurasian Plate, along the Nojima fault line.
Philippines plate moves towards the Eurasian Plate and is forced down as it's oceanic crust.
The plates jam together and pressure builds up.
The pressure is suddenly released and the plate jerks forwards.
Earthquake shockwaves travel outwards.
5:46 am on 17th January 1995.
Effects of the Kobe Earthquake
6,434 people were killed, 4,600 of them Kobe residents.
40,000 people were seriously injured.
300,000 people became homeless.
The city's infrastructure was badly damaged. Gas mains were ruptured, water pipes fractured and elevated roads collapsed, such as the Hanshin expressway. Railway lines buckled as well, 30 per cent of the Osaka to Kobe tracks were unusable.
Two million homes were without electricity, and 1 million had to cope without water for 10 days.
Fires engulfed parts of the city, especially to the west of the port, devouring wooden structures. Damage to the roads made it harder for them to be reached and put out.
The damage caused cost more than $220 billion, which damaged the economy.
Companies such as Panasonic had to close temporarily.
Initial Responses
Friends and neighbours searched through the rubble for survivors, joined by emergency services when access was possible, because roads were damaged.
Hospitals struggled to cope with the injured, treating people and operating in corridors, due to the masses of people hurt in the quake.
Major retailers such as 7-Eleven helped to provide essentials as people lost their possessions and money. Motorola maintained telephone connections free of charge so people could contact their relatives, friends and the emergency services.
Long-Term Responses
New buildings were built further apart, to prevent the domino effect.
High-rise buildings had to have flexible steel frames; others were built of concrete frames reinforced with steel instead of wood.
Rubber blocks were put under bridges to absorb shockwaves.