Median Tectonic Line

The Median Tectonic Line is a major fault zone running across southwest Japan, separating the Inner Zone from the Outer Zone of the Japanese island arc.

Strike-slip fault: A fault on which the two sides move mainly sideways past one another. Parts of the line record substantial lateral displacement between crustal blocks.
Inner Zone of Southwest Japan: The geological province north of the Median Tectonic Line in southwest Japan. It forms the northern side of the boundary.
Cretaceous: A geological period lasting from about 145 to 66 million years ago. Major rocks and tectonic structures associated with the line formed during this interval.
Median Tectonic Line Active Fault System: A system of active faults associated with the Median Tectonic Line in southwest Japan. It is the modern earthquake-producing expression of part of the larger geological zone.
Nankai Trough: A submarine trench south of Japan where the Philippine Sea Plate subducts beneath the Eurasian margin. Deformation linked to this plate boundary interacts with the active fault system inland.
Right-lateral fault: A strike-slip fault whose opposite side appears to move to the right. Right-lateral motion is documented along major segments of the Median Tectonic Line.
Outer Zone of Southwest Japan: The geological province south of the Median Tectonic Line in southwest Japan. It forms the southern side of the boundary.
Subduction: The descent of one tectonic plate beneath another at a convergent boundary. Subduction generated the contrasting metamorphic and magmatic belts flanking the fault.
Ishizuchi fault: An active fault segment of the Median Tectonic Line in Shikoku, Japan. It illustrates the system’s segmented trace and active lateral movement.
Nankai megathrust earthquakes: Large earthquakes caused by rupture of the plate boundary beneath the Nankai Trough. Their regional strain changes can influence stress on faults across southwest Japan.

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