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A comment on 7.1 magnitude earthquake hits Japan. Parent comment

Re:7.1 magnitude earthquake hits Japan by TomOfTTB on Thursday April 07, 2011 @03:02PM (#2420773)
What made that quake significant was the duration (it went on for 15 seconds). That's a factor that supersedes the strength of the quake to an extent. Because a weaker quake will cause more damage over a long period of time.

Put it this way: Hit a wall with a hammer and you might cause a dent. Continually hit that wall with a hammer for 15 seconds and you'll probably break through.

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Re:7.1 magnitude earthquake hits Japan by lappet on Thursday April 07, 2011 @08:39PM (#2421898)
The 2001 earthquake in Gujarat lasted for more than 2 minutes and killed around 20,000 people. The quake struck early in the morning during India's Republic day celebrations. The authorities said that the long duration caused more damage http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2001_Gujarat_earthquake
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