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Asphalt Road FracturedEarthquakes are common in Japan but this 1995 Kobe quake was a standout that spelled the end of the road for a section of asphalt highway, a fleet of trucks, and even a huge crane which collapsed under the force of the temblor. The magnitude 7.2 quake was one of the worst in Japan’s long history; 6,433 people were killed and damages topped $100 billion (U.S.) About 80 percent of all earthquakes occur where the Pacific Ocean tectonic plates abut those of the surrounding continents along the west coast of the Americas, and through a string of Asian nations including Japan, China, Indonesia, and the Philippines. Another belt of high quake activity stretches through the Mediterranean Sea region eastward into Asia.

Photograph from AccuSoft Inc.