The shaking of the ground in Japan reached more than 4 meters in places, “lifting” the surface, while it moved sideways more than a meter which shows the strength of the earthquake according to the way they are recorded in the country.

The 7.6-magnitude earthquake in Japan, which has so far left 48 dead and many strandedis measured there by how much the ground moved as Japan does not record earthquakes based on intensity like the West, but on a scale that measures the shaking of the ground and the swaying it causes in buildings.

Earthquake-prone Japan is highly advanced in monitoring when the ground shakes. That’s why it can make such accurate measurements.

There is a network of GPS stations scattered at strategic points throughout the country. When an earthquake hits, scientists can tell exactly how much each one has moved, showing how much the ground at the site has bent and shifted.

This system showed in Monday’s latest earthquake that the earth moved up to 130 cm to the west.

In the meantime, scientists are also monitoring Japan from space, comparing satellite images taken before and after the earthquake.

On his last pass, the ALOS-2 spacecraft reported that the distance between it and the ground had decreased as the Earth’s surface had risen due to the earthquake.

The ground moved more on the western side of the Noto Peninsula. The ocean floor shifted from the coast therecreating tsunami waves about 80 centimeters high.

Even one death matters, but it is remarkable how few have occurred, even as searches continue for those still trapped in the rubble. Loss and damage models predict an eventual death toll of around a hundred people at most.

It is worth comparing this event with last year’s M7.8 earthquake in Turkey. Both were broadly similar in terms of energy released, but the death tolls in Turkey and Syria reached over 50,000. Also in 2010 and in the M7 earthquake in Haiti. More than 100,000 people lost their lives in this horrific event.

The explanation for the difference is simple: readiness

Japan is located at the confluence of four major tectonic plates. It is one of the most seismically active regions on Earth as the country is responsible for about 20% of the world’s earthquakes of magnitude 6.0 or greater, with measurements showing some sort of earthquake every five minutes on average. Therefore, Japan has invested huge amounts in its infrastructure and its population.

Building codes, the rules that follow construction, are strictly enforced and citizens are well trained in how to react to tremors. Japan also has one of the most advanced early warning systems in the world.

Scientists cannot predict the timing and scale of an event, but once it begins the instruments will trigger alerts on television, radio and mobile phone networks. These warnings will reach some people far from the epicenter perhaps 10 to 20 seconds before the main earthquake begins.