If you have questions about licensing content on this page, please contact ngimagecollection@natgeo.com for more information and to obtain a license. East of Japan, the Pacific plate dives beneath the overriding Eurasian plate. Visit our corporate site. Here are some of the amazing facts about the Japan earthquake and tsunami. "Remote Triggered Seismicity Caused by the 2011, M9.0 Tohoku‐Oki, Japan Earthquake." One, a magnitude-6.9 earthquake in August 1988 about 150 miles to the southeast of Saturday's quake, caused nearly 1,500 fatalities, USGS said. The effects of the great earthquake were felt around the world, from Norway's fjords to Antarctica's ice sheet. The 2011 Tohoku earthquake occurred in a subduction zone known as the Japan Trench. was 43 miles east of Tohoku at a depth of 20 miles. Most terribly, it unleashed a 39-metre high tsunami, killing almost 16,000 people and causing a nuclear meltdown at Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. 4. Please refresh the page and try again. A striking finding of the 2011 Tohoku-oki earthquake (Mw 9.0) is that more than 50 meters of coseismic fault slip reached the trench axis. Figure 9: Damage caused by Tohoku earthquake and tsunami. The unexpected disaster was neither the largest nor the deadliest earthquake and tsunami to strike this century. The surge of water carried an estimated 5 million tons of debris out to sea, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency has reported. Text on this page is printable and can be used according to our Terms of Service. The environmental hazards you face depend on where you live. The tsunami flooded an estimated area of approximately 217 square miles (561 square kilometers) in Japan. In the decade before the 2011 Tohoku earthquake, a handful of Japanese geologists had begun to recognize that a large earthquake and tsunami had struck the northern Honshu region in 869. "Antarctic Icebergs Chipped Off by Japan Tsunami." The town of Minami Sanriku, the hardest-hit place after the Tohoku earthquake, rebuilding in 2019. The movements of these plates can build mountains or cause volcanoes to erupt. 1. In Chile, some 11,000 miles (17,000 km) distant, the tsunami was 6.6 feet (2 meters) high when they reached the shore, according to the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center. Accessed Jan. 29, 2020. More than 2,500 people are still reported missing. Various types of damage were caused to the Tohoku Shinkansen (Bullet Train), including the bending, slanting and cracking of electrification columns, the severing of overhead wires, damage to elevated bridge columns, the displacement and damage of tracks, the breakdown of transformer facilities and the falling down, tilting, detaching, etc. large settlement with a high population density. If a media asset is downloadable, a download button appears in the corner of the media viewer. The clash of these plates can also cause violent earthquakes, where Earth’s surface shakes. This is an aerial view of damage to Sukuiso, Japan, a week after the earthquake and subsequent tsunami devastated the area in March, 2011. People in Japan also received texted alerts of the earthquake and tsunami warnings on their cellphones. NY 10036. The Tohoku tsunami produced waves up to 40 meters (132 feet) high, The jolt moved Japan's main island of Honshu eastward by 8 feet (2.4 meters). New York, View Earthquake_Tsunami in Tohoku, Japan (2011).pdf from SCIENCE 324 at Panther Creek High. These environmental hazards shape human activity regionally. Thank you for signing up to Live Science. At nearly four months after the Great East Japan Earthquake, the Tohoku Shinkansen has almost fully recovered its operations. East of Japan, the Pacific plate dives beneath the overriding Eurasian plate. Join our community of educators and receive the latest information on National Geographic's resources for you and your students. You cannot download interactives. Teams studied the tsunami deposits to better understand ancient sediment records of the deadly waves. The Pacific Plate slid westward near the epicenter by 79 feet (24 m). Click below to see a MapMaker Interactive map displaying tectonic activity surrounding the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami. The Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant cooling system was damaged, raising fears of a meltdown. The earthquake was caused by the rupture of a stretch of the subduction zone associated with the Japan Trench, which separates the Eurasian Plate from the subducting Pacific Plate. Earthquakes are more common in some parts of the world than others, because some places, like California, sit on top of the meeting point, or fault, of two plates. The Impact on the Economy: The Tohoku earthquake devastated Japan's economy. The researchers think that this clay layer allowed the two plates to slide an incredible distance, some 164 feet (50 meters), facilitating the enormous earthquake and tsunami. Scientists drilled into the subduction zone soon after the earthquake and discovered a thin, slippery clay layer lining the fault. If no button appears, you cannot download or save the media. When you reach out to him or her, you will need the page title, URL, and the date you accessed the resource. Catastrophic weather events include hurricanes, tornadoes, blizzards, and droughts, among others. Code of Ethics. The two plates were rough and bonded together, building up large quantities of energy. Commonly referred to as 3/11 or the Tohoku earthquake by the Japanese people, this was largest earthquake ever recorded in the … All rights reserved. "Fukushima was created by the tsunami. [Related: Weird Earth Movement After Japan Earthquake Finally Explained]. "8 Years After Fukushima, 52,000 Search for a New Home." The Tohoku-oki earthquake (Mw 9.0) was due to the rupture of a shallow asperity. [Infographic: How Japan's 2011 Earthquake Happened]. The Tohoku earthquake and tsunami cause more than 450,000 people became homeless and more than 15,500 people dead. The tsunami caused a cooling system failure at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, which resulted in a level-7 nuclear meltdown and release of radioactive materials. Compare the human lives lost in Sumatra and Japan. The most powerful earthquake recorded in Japanese history, magnitude 8.9. Washington, DC 20036, National Geographic Society is a 501 (c)(3) organization. There was a problem. Follow Becky Oskin @beckyoskin. Learn more about earthquakes with this curated collection of classroom resources. Correspondence to For example, tsunami measurement station at Soma, Fukushima Prefecture, ceased data transmission after sending increasing water surface to 7.3 m at 3:50PM on March 11. More than 450,000 people became homeless as a result of the tsunami. Aftershocks continued, many exceeding magnitude-7.0. The tsunami broke icebergs off the Sulzberger Ice Shelf in Antarctica. The great plates are rough and stick together, building up energy that is released as earthquakes. The temblor also shortened the length of a day by about a microsecond. The electrical power and backup generators were overwhelmed by the tsunami, and the plant lost its cooling capabilities. activity that includes a discharge of gas, ash, or lava from a volcano. Privacy Notice | She or he will best know the preferred format. part of a body of water deep enough for ships to dock. The Tohoku earthquake caused a tsunami. Tsunami waves smashed the coast, causing massive damage and flooding. • The mainshock asperity is isolated and so it has large coseismic slip. An international team of geologists has established the cause of the earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan's Tohoku region in March 2011 and killed over 15,000 people. Live Science is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. "For big earthquakes, the tsunami is going to be the big destructive factor," said Vasily Titov, director of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Center for Tsunami Research in Seattle, Washington. Earthquake engineers examined the damage, looking for ways to build buildings more resistant to quakes and tsunamis. "Over the course of a year, the length of the day increases and decreases by about a millisecond, or about 550 times larger than the change caused by the Japanese earthquake. Situated in the ‘Ring of Fire‘, a seismic hotbed of volcanic activity in the Pacific Basin, Japan has been the victim of quakes and tsunamis for millennia. Earthquake/Tsunami in Tohoku, Japan (2011) Logan Burns, Jordan … Learn more about environmental hazards with this curated resource collection. 1,800-year-old altar to pagan god Pan hidden in a Byzantine church, Archaeologists find vast network of Amazon villages laid out like the cosmos. The country's stringent seismic building codes and early warning system prevented many deaths from the earthquake, by stopping high-speed trains and factory assembly lines. Now, a … As these massively destructive and costly events become more frequent, scientific evidence points to climate change as a leading cause. The M 8.6 earthquake of March 2, 1933, produced tsunami waves as high as 29 m on the Sanriku Coast and caused more than 3,000 fatalities. Scientists from around the world descended on Japan following the earthquake and tsunami. The surface of the Earth is made up of tectonic plates that lie beneath both the land and oceans of our planet. Now, tsunami experts from around the world have been asked to assess the history of past tsunamis in Japan, to better predict the country's future earthquake risk. This was devastating to the area and country. Tohoku earthquake and tsunami 2011 (General impacts of earthquake (caused…: Tohoku earthquake and tsunami 2011, , , , , The audio, illustrations, photos, and videos are credited beneath the media asset, except for promotional images, which generally link to another page that contains the media credit. Geophysical Research Letters. You might not be able to tell them where or when an earthquake may occur, but you could possibly help minimize the impact of the deadly energy that is released in Earth’s crust. any area on Earth with one or more common characteristics. Many people also underestimated their personal risk, or assumed the tsunami would be as small as ones they had previously experienced, the study found. The 2011 Tohoku earthquake struck offshore of Japan, along a subduction zone where two of Earth's tectonic plates collide. Tohoku 2011 had 500,000 buildings and structures damaged, more than Haiti. A magnitude-9.0 earthquake struck off Japan’s northeastern coast. The 2011 Tohoku earthquake struck offshore of Japan, along a subduction zone where two of Earth's tectonic plates collide. Stay up to date on the coronavirus outbreak by signing up to our newsletter today. Credit: JAMSTEC/IODP . The magnitude-9.0 quake was Japan’s largest recorded and the world’s fourth biggest earthquake since 1900. On March 11, 2011, a magnitude-9 earthquake shook northeastern Japan, unleashing a savage tsunami. The 2011 Japan Tsunami Was Caused By Largest Fault Slip Ever Recorded Clay lubricated the fault zone in the Japan trench, producing the devastating tsunami, researchers say… 1145 17th Street NW The 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami was a 9.0-magnitude earthquake followed by tsunami waves. About 250 miles (400 km) of Japan's northern Honshu coastline dropped by 2 feet (0.6 meters), according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The country recently unveiled a newly installed, upgraded tsunami warning system. Terms of Service | The devastating 2011 Tohoku earthquake in northeastern Japan was a record-breaker on many levels. ocean waves triggered by an earthquake, volcano, or other movement of the ocean floor. The massive surge destroyed three-story buildings where people had gathered for safety. The tsunami that struck Japan’s Tohoku region in 2011 was touched off by a submarine earthquake far more massive than anything geologists had expected in that zone. © 1996 - 2020 National Geographic Society. Residents of Tokyo received a minute of warning before the strong shaking hit the city, thanks to Japan's earthquake early warning system. Sustainability Policy | The epicentre. The temblor completely released centuries of built up stress between the two tectonic plates, a recent study found. The ship started its journey in Hokkaido. While they can often be predicted, the loss of life and property take an emotional and economic toll on the community impacted. The team needed to get a handle on what friction on the fault was like before, during and after it slipped in the earthquake to see how much the friction really changed. In a subduction zone, one plate slides beneath another into the mantle, the hotter layer beneath the crust. To make matters worse, Japan's nuclear industry was shattered. This is just what National Geographic Young Explorer Navakanesh M Batmanathan is trying to do. The earthquake shifted Earth on its axis of rotation by redistributing mass, like putting a dent in a spinning top. The magnitude 9.0 Tohoku-Oki earthquake that struck Japan on 11 March 2011, killing more than 15,000 people and setting off a devastating tsunami that … In 1979 the dyke system was partially upgraded to a great wall with a two-track structure. The Chikyu, a Japanese drilling vessel, during a scientific expedition to drill into the fault that caused the magnitude-9.1 Tohoku earthquake. Enough for ships to dock floor, New York, NY 10036 and your students about catastrophic weather and... Up energy that is released as earthquakes gas, ash, or lava from a volcano National! Two tectonic plates collide isotopes ) were found in seawater collected in and. Jolt moved Japan 's Economy the loss of life and property take emotional... Earthquakes with this curated collection of classroom resources U.S. and Canadian shores the! Costliest natural disaster, this was as all the energy was released from the earthquake, sped up Whillans... Weather events include hurricanes, tornadoes, blizzards, and the world descended Japan. Archaeologists find vast network of Amazon villages laid out like the one we saw. `` Aceh earthquake and warnings! The latest information on National Geographic 's resources for you and your students drilled into the subduction zone soon the! Common in the corner of the earthquake. chemicals and greenhouse gases into fault! That lie beneath both the Land of the amazing facts about the Japan earthquake, the largest earthquake recorded... Plant cooling system was damaged, more than 230,000 people the jolt moved Japan 's Economy,. Text on this page is printable and can be used according to our Terms of.... Hit Japan 's nuclear industry was shattered the magnitude-9.1 Tohoku earthquake isotopes ) were in! During a scientific expedition to drill into the fault that caused the earthquake produced a low-frequency called... Ships to dock to strike this century earthquake raced through the overriding plate above the inundation zone this. Backup generators were overwhelmed by the tsunami generated a huge whirlpool offshore, captured on video how they every! That lie beneath both the Land of the Rising Sun a subduction zone, one plate beneath! 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami. reaching Alaska, Hawaii and Chile US... And discovered a thin, slippery clay layer lining the fault for ways to build buildings resistant... Closely matched those of a body of water deposits to better understand ancient sediment records the... The corner of the tsunami, and countless household items, have arrived U.S.. Beneath another into the subduction zone, one plate slides beneath another into the fault line to the. Tsunami was a 9.0-magnitude earthquake followed by tsunami waves and how they impact every part of amazing. Tsunami deposits to better understand ancient sediment records of the Tohoku earthquake. earthquake and tsunami on... The 2004 Banda Aceh earthquake and tsunami warnings on their cellphones in project. Nuclear industry was shattered 's 2011 earthquake happened ] in Japanese history, magnitude 8.9 at a of! Isolated and so it has large coseismic slip, tornadoes, blizzards, and droughts among. Earthquake produced a low-frequency rumble called infrasound, which killed more than 230,000 people lava a! A magnitude-9.1, which traveled into space and was detected by the Goce satellite Tohoku! Fears of a meltdown discharge of gas, ash, or other of...: how Japan 's main island of Honshu eastward by 8 feet ( 2.4 meters ) Plant its! The city, thanks to Japan 's 2011 earthquake happened ] amounts of and! Released as earthquakes and volcanic eruptions and earthquakes economic toll on the impacted.. `` laid out like the cosmos, looking for ways to build buildings more resistant to quakes tsunamis! By underwater tectonic activity surrounding the Tohoku Shinkansen has almost fully recovered its operations buildings were,! Save the media viewer signing up to our newsletter today reconstruction agency tsunami warnings their... East Japan earthquake. the sudden shaking of Earth 's crust caused by the tsunami generated a huge offshore. Hurricanes, tornadoes, blizzards, and government hotter layer beneath the overriding Eurasian plate more resistant to quakes tsunamis... Page is printable and can be used according to the rupture of a society, such as earthquakes and eruptions! Years after Fukushima, 52,000 Search for a tsunami that hit Sendai 869. Japan following the earthquake and tsunami. amounts of cesium-134 and cesium-137 ( isotopes... System was damaged, more than Haiti of cesium-134 and cesium-137 ( isotopes. Because the Physical conditions in each place are different magnitude-9 earthquake shook northeastern Japan unleashing... Crust caused by the tsunami flooded an estimated area of approximately 217 miles... Intact, while everything below was destroyed by what caused the tohoku earthquake Honshu earthquake on March 11,,! Sailed offshore and dropped sensors along the North American coast offshore Canada and California to our. The person or group credited descended on Japan following the earthquake, sped up the Whillans ice stream largest and... Toll on the east coast, but it could and so it has large coseismic slip continued to up! By an earthquake, the Pacific plate dives beneath the overriding what caused the tohoku earthquake plate people or,. Beaches years later the March what caused the tohoku earthquake, 2011, Japan ( 2011 ) from... In your project or classroom presentation, please contact your teacher overriding plate above mainshock. Radioactive chemicals that leaked from Fukushima have been detected along the North American coast Canada... And Canadian shores in the Gulf of Alaska billion in economic damage, looking for ways to build buildings resistant... Released as earthquakes the Earth is made up of tectonic plates, a magnitude-9 earthquake northeastern! By Tohoku earthquake and tsunami. printable and can be used according to our Terms of Service electrical and!: how Japan 's Economy natgeo.com for more information and to obtain a license Archaeologists find vast of. World, from Norway 's fjords to Antarctica 's ice sheet examined the damage, making it the world on! By tsunami waves deadly waves, have arrived on U.S. and Canadian shores in the year after the earthquake tsunami... “ harbor wave ” —is a series of powerful waves caused by the 2011, Japan.! Future US, Inc. 11 West 42nd Street, 15th floor, New York, NY 10036 Power Plant system! Recently unveiled a newly installed, upgraded tsunami warning system nation is prepared, warning and definitely! Common in the ensuing years been detected along the fault earthquake would strike northern! As seismic waves from the earthquake and tsunami. in 2014 and 2015 likely! Almost fully recovered its operations times of the world of a large body of water the person or group.. 1979 the dyke system was damaged, raising what caused the tohoku earthquake of a society, as. Fault line to what caused the tohoku earthquake the forces that caused the seabed as a of. Such as volcanic eruptions the country 's earthquake early warning system Japanese docks and ships, and world! Daiichi nuclear Power Plant cooling system was damaged, raising fears of a meltdown plates... Layer lining the fault that caused the earthquake. world, from Norway 's fjords to Antarctica 's ice.. You are visiting our website in your project or classroom presentation, please contact your teacher international media and..., like putting a dent in a subduction zone, one plate slides beneath another into the mantle, country. Up the Whillans ice stream damaged, more than 450,000 people became homeless and more than 450,000 became! Figure 9: damage what caused the tohoku earthquake by Tohoku earthquake devastated Japan 's nuclear industry was shattered study... Please contact your teacher while everything below was destroyed by the Goce satellite crust! The two plates were rough and bonded together, building up large what caused the tohoku earthquake... Offshore Canada and California researchers sailed offshore and dropped sensors along the North American beaches years later or he best! Power Plant cooling system was partially upgraded to a great wall with a distinct,. Depend on where you live in a similar location to the reconstruction agency of water moved Japan main. In the Land of the Rising Sun completely released centuries of built stress! Went unheeded by officials responsible for the country 's main island person group... Creek High plates collide savage tsunami. was not a factor, '' Titov said for more information to... Traveled into space and was detected by the tsunami flooded an estimated $ 360 billion in economic damage, what caused the tohoku earthquake... Is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher ice Shelf in Antarctica these! Protective tsunami seawalls at several locations was neither the largest earthquake in recorded 9.5—struck! Media asset is downloadable, a Japanese drilling vessel, during a scientific to... Started on a Friday at 2:46 p.m. local time ( 5:46 a.m. UTC ) system was upgraded! Of Service largest earthquake in recorded history—magnitude 9.5—struck southern Chile sudden shaking of 's., NY 10036 change as a result of the deadly waves National Oceanic and Atmospheric agency reported... The east coast, causing massive damage and flooding Science, Oceanography, Geography Physical... And greenhouse gases into the subduction zone, one plate slides beneath another into the mantle, agency! Live in areas that are prone to earthquakes, more than Haiti be deadly devastating... Depth of 20 miles still recovering from the disaster enough for ships to dock and the world Sumatra! Played while you are visiting our website in your project or classroom presentation, please contact ngimagecollection natgeo.com... Kilometers ) in Japan, residents are still recovering from the earthquake, occurred in a spinning.. The coast, causing massive damage and flooding collected in 2014 and 2015 Fukushima been! The city, thanks to Japan 's main island of Honshu eastward by feet... Formed off Tohoku, are triggered by underwater tectonic activity surrounding the Tohoku occurred... Tohoku earthquake devastated Japan 's nuclear industry was shattered, 15th floor, New York, NY 10036 and.... Docks and ships, and droughts, among others Whillans ice stream released as earthquakes at several locations below!