By SHIGEKO SEGAWA / Staff Writer
In a race against time when every minute means the difference between life and death, earthquake researcher Satoshi Miura wants to be ready the next time a big quake hits, triggering a tsunami.
On March 11, the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) initially estimated the massive tremors emanating from the Great East Japan Earthquake at a magnitude of 7.9.
The agency would later upgrade the magnitude to an astounding 9.0, which meant the inaccurate early assessment led to huge underestimates of tsunami heights and dire consequences for those who were caught unaware.
That experience is driving seismologists such as Miura to seek new methods to better assess giant quake magnitudes both promptly and accurately.
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