Development and Construction of Nankai Trough Seafloor Observation Network for Earthquakes and Tsunamis: N-net

Since the Japanese Islands is located on the eastern margin of the Eurasian plate where the Pacific and the Philippine Sea plates are subducting, giant earthquakes have occurred repeatedly off the coast. Observation of earthquakes and tsunamis that occur in the ocean in the vicinity of their source area is important both for academic and disaster mitigation purposes. The area off the Pacific coast in eastern Japan has already been densely monitored by S-net, and in western Japan by DONET and the JMA’s Tokai- and Tonankai-oki cables, but the area from off Kochi to the Hyuga-nada, which is the western half of the anticipated Nankai Trough earthquakes, is a blank area of observation. To fill in the blank, NIED is now constructing Nankai Trough Seafloor Observation Network for Earthquakes and Tsunami (N-net).