Damage of Stone Lanterns at Zenkoji Temple, Nagano, Japan and Ground Motion of Northern Nagano Earthquake, November 22, 2014

Abstract

An MJMA 6.7 (Mw 6.2) earthquake occurred in Northern Nagano, Japan, on November 22, 2014. While the damage in the city center of Nagano was relatively minor, 65 stone lanterns, among 182, standing in the precinct of the Zenkoji Temple, approximately 25 km from the epicenter, were toppled by the ground motion of this earthquake. Damage of the surrounding residential area was minor. Directions of the collapse were dominantly in the north-south. Strong motion seismograms recorded at nearby JMA Nagano Local Meteorological Observatory were rich in high frequency, especially in the NS component, which explains collapse of stone objects whose natural periods are few tenths of a second. Similar damage was documented in a historic earthquake in 1714, and recurrence of such damage implies that high frequency ground motions from large earthquakes in this epicentral area have been repeated threats to the Zenkoji Temple and Nagano City.