Japan's History of Massive Earthquakes

The Mino-Owari Earthquake, 1891
Japan is located in a volcanic zone on the Pacific Ring of Fire, an zone in the basin of the Pacific Ocean that is highly susceptible to earthquakes and volcanic activity . With its precarious plate tectonics, Japan gets hits with earthquakes of varying strength throughout the year. On October 28, 1891, a devastating quake hit the former provinces of Mino and Owari. Records show that there tragedy caused 7,273 deaths and 17,175 casualties. Based on the destruction, it is estimated that the Richter Scale hit a magnitude of 8.0.

• The Calamity of Japan's 9.0-Magnitude Quake