Japan Earthquake and

Tsunami (2011)
By: Umme H.

Japan Tsunami
On march 11, 2011, an earthquake shook northeastern japan, leaving a savage tsunami. Research
shows that the effects of earthquake in japan were felt all over the world, from Norways fjords to
Antarcticas ice sheet. The tsunami continued to wash up the North American beaches two years later.
The unexpected disaster in japan was neither the largest nor deadliest earthquake and tsunami to strike
this century. That records does to the earthquake and tsunami in Sumatra, with a magnitude of 9.1, which
killed more than 230,000 people as research shows. But Japans one-two punch proved devastating for
the earthquake-savvy country, because few scientists in japan had predicted that the country will
experience such a large earthquake and tsunami. The tsunami in japan was really bad and devastating
because we see from our information that people are still recovering from that tsunami. In our research it
shows us that the earthquake started on a friday at 2:46 p.m. local time as recorded. It was centered on
the seafloor 45 miles (72 kilometers) east of Tohoku, at a depth of 20 miles (32 km) below the surface.
The shaking of the earthquake lasted up to about six minutes. The information also says that less than a
hour after the earthquake, the tsunami waves hit japans seaside.

Why was there Tsunami in Japan?

The 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami in Japan occur because of two Earths tectonic
plates collide. Research shows that one plate slides beneath another into the mantle, and the
hotter layer beneath the crust. The great plates stick and slip, causing earthquakes. East of
Japan, the Pacific plate dives beneath the overriding Eurasian plate. The temblor completely
released centuries of built up stress between the two tectonic plates, a recent study found.
People in japan said that the earthquake started on a Friday at 2:46 p.m. local time and they
also said less than an hour after the earthquake the tsunami hit Japan. I also found in my
research that the tsunami caused nuclear accidents, primarily the level 7 meltdowns at three
reactors in the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant and this associated evacuation zones
affected hundreds of thousands of residents.

The Deaths Caused by Tsunami:

After the earth about a half hour after the tsunami waves reached and ran-up height
of up to 128 feet at Miyako city and traveled inland as far as 6 miles and 10 kilometers in
Sendai. The tsunami flooded an area of approximately 217 square miles (561 square
kilometers) in japan. The waves overtopped and destroyed protective tsunami seawalls at
several locations. The massive tsunami destroyed three-story buildings where people had
gathered for safety. Near Oarai, the tsunami generated a huge whirlpool offshore
Research shows that more than 18,000 people were killed in the disaster. Most died by
Drowning. But recently On 10 February 2014, a National Police Agency report confirmed
15,889 deaths, 6,152 injured, and 2,601 people missing across twenty prefectures, as
well as 127,290 buildings totally collapsed, with a further 272,788 buildings half
collapsed, and another 747,989 building partially damaged. From this information we can
see that lot of people lost their houses and loved ones and most importantly we found in
our research that people in japan are still recovering from this tsunami it caused
thousands of peoples deaths and made thousands more homeless.

Before & After Japan Recovering from

Tsunami:

Japan After Tsunami:

In the immediate aftermath of the disaster caused by the tsunami, several hundred thousands people
were in shelters, often with limited supplies of food or water, and tens of thousands more. In Japan,
residents are still recovering from the disaster. Two years after the quake and tsunami, about 300,000
people who lost their homes were still living in temporary houses, as the japanese government said. I also
found from my information that $30 billion dollars in funding for broken roads, bridges, and thousand of
new homes in areas devastated by the tsunami in japan three and a half years ago.
Response of Japans Government after the Tsunami: Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe
said that the government intends to make "visible" reconstruction progress and accelerate
resettlement of those left homeless by streamlining legal and administrative procedures many
blame for the delays. He also said, "I pray that the peaceful lives of those affected can resume as
soon as possible," Emperor Akihito said at a somber memorial service at Tokyo's National
Theater. So from this information we know that people in japan are recovering from the tsunami
and government is also helping them. Japan got a lot of donations for help and the government
promise that we will see more recoveries soon.

More from the Tsunami:

Before and After Tsunami Pictures:

Facts about Tsunami:

The earthquake shifted Earth on its axis of rotation by redistributing mass, like putting a dent in a wobbling top.
The temblor also shortened the length of day by about a microsecond.
More than 1,000 aftershocks have hit Japan since the earthquake, the largest a magnitude 7.9.
About 250 miles (400 km) of Japan's northern Honshu coastline dropped by 2 feet (0.6 meters).
The jolt moved Japan's main island of Honshu eastward by 8 feet (2.4 meters).
The Pacific Plate slid westward near the epicenter by 79 feet (24 m).
In Antarctica, the seismic waves from the earthquake sped up the Whillans Ice Stream, jolting it by about 1.5
feet (0.5 meters).
The tsunami broke icebergs off the Sulzberger Ice Shelf in Antarctica.
As the tsunami crossed the Pacific Ocean, a 5-foot high (1.5 m) high wave killed more than 110,000 nesting
seabirds at the Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge.

Citation Page:
http://www.livescience.com/39110-japan-2011-earthquake-tsunami-facts.html
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/picturegalleries/worldnews/9131914/Japanearthquake-and-tsunami-anniversary-30-powerful-images-of-the-disaster.html?
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http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2011/03/110311-tsunami-facts-japanearthquake-hawaii/