On future research plans

It is essential for making research plans on this earthquake and on the area to note the two following points.

1．Since the earthquake is a subduction zone earthquake which appeared on land, we can conduct surveys from land to a subduction zone tsunami-genic earthquake

　It has been known that a very high pore pressure was observed in an oil well at the basal decollement (Suppe, 1981). It has been known also that the CO2 content is generally high in the wells of the area. If we note that a drilling into the deeper part of a seismogenic zone in a subduction zone is extremely difficult, this area and the event provide a good chance, by conducting drillings deep into the accretionary prism and the decollement, to know the behavior of water and CO2 and how they are related to the occurrence of an earthquake. Operating seismometers and GPS to detect afterslips and aftershock distributions would be also much easier than under the sea area. In this respect, the ERI team, conducted by Prof. Naoshi Hirata, has started observations in cooperation with Institute of Earth Sciences, Academia Sinica and the Central Taiwan University.

2．Since the surface ruptures were produced by reverse faulting, they are very fragile. We need to hurry to conduct through studies of features of the surface ruptures before they are going be broken down.

　As I noted in other places, the surface ruptures show peculiar features. This may be related to the fact that the sedimentary basin was cut by the surface faulting. Before the surface ruptures are broken down and the damaged buildings are repaired, researchers in the field of neotectonics and damages of buildings should conduct through investigation. It is important to see features without prejudice, however.