Japan Earthquake Friday March 11, 2011

The full scale: before and after in Sendai

The earthquake occurred 130 km (80 miles) east of Sendai and 373 km (231 miles) northeast of Tokyo. Images courtesy of the US Geological Survey

The Tokyo Quake The tragedy in Japan started with an earthquake. At 2:46 PM on April 11 th, 2011, a 9.0 magnitude earthquake occurred at degrees N, degrees E, at a depth of 19.9 miles, near the east coast of Honshu Island. The epicenter of that submarine quake was: 80 miles East of Sendai, Honshu (population 1 million+) 109 miles East of Yamagata, Honshu 109 miles East North East of Fukushima, Honshu 231 miles Northeast of Tokyo (population 13 million+)

This is one of the largest earthquakes that Japan has ever experienced.. USGS Part of houses swallowed by tsunami burn in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture (state) after Japan was struck by a strong earthquake off its northeastern coast Friday, March 11, New York Times In downtown Tokyo, large buildings shook violently. Elsewhere severe flooding occurred due to a tsunami generated by the earthquake.

Fires often ignite due to broken gas lines CNN reported: “The quake rattled buildings and toppled cars off bridges and into waters underneath. Waves of debris flowed like lava across farmland, pushing boats, houses and trailers toward highways.” A number of fires broke out including one at an oil refinery which was burning out of control. Giant fireballs rise from a burning oil refinery in Ichihara, Chiba Prefecture (state) after Japan was struck by a strong earthquake off its northeastern coast Friday, March 11, Los Angeles Times Fires after Earthquakes

One of the Largest Ever At magnitude 9.0, the Tohoku earthquake was the largest quake in Japan since Japan began tracking earthquakes 130 years ago, and the 4 th or 5 th largest quake worldwide since Some other extremely serious earthquakes: Valdivia Chile Earthquake (magnitude 9.5) Prince William Sound Alaska Earthquake (9.2) Indian Ocean Earthquake ( (est.)) Kamchatka Earthquake, USSR (9.0) Sumatra, Indonesia Earthquake ( (est.)) Ecuador-Colombia Earthquake (8.8) Chile Earthquake (8.8) Cascadia Earthquake ( (est.)) Valparaiso, Chile, Earthquake ( (est.) In 1906, the U.S. also had an earthquake in San Francisco but that was only 7.8

Danger from the nuclear power station damaged by the earthquake

Houses and debris burn near Sendai Airport.

Facade of a damaged apartment building in central Tokyo's Higashi-Azabu district.

Natural-gas-storage tanks burn at a facility in Chiba Prefecture, near Tokyo.

A bicycle lies under rubble in central Tokyo.

Stranded people take a rest at a hotel lobby after subway and train were suspended after an earthquake, in Tokyo.

People evacuated and the injured in emergency shelters and hospitals

Ordinary people and rescuers search amongst the debris

The Tragic Aftermath While direct effects of the earthquake were devastating, there was more to come Only a few hours after the already devastating earthquake a 30 foot tsunami hit the coast

Impact: Effects 1.More than 1,700 people officially dead or missing, with many more unaccounted for, including 9,500 people in one town. 2.Radiation leaks from a damaged nuclear plant after an explosion blows off the roof, raising fears of a meltdown at the nuclear power station north of Tokyo. 3.Three workers suffer radiation exposure near Fukushima nuclear plant. 4.Several large towns and cities are more than a third submerged by waters and debris. 5.Some 215,000 people living in government shelters. 6.Four million people without power, a million with no water. 7.Experts say the total insured loss could be up to $15bn.

Globally, this is the 5 th largest earthquake since 1900 (or 4 th depends on M). Chile 1960 Alaska 1964 Sumatra 2004 Chile 2010 Japan 2011 Russia 1952 Ecuador 1906 Alaska 1965

The Tsunami Hits

But First What Exactly is a Tsunami? Tsunamis are giant waves can be caused by earthquakes or volcanic eruptions under the sea, but there are other causes too Out in the depths of the ocean, tsunami waves do not dramatically increase in height (there are only a few inches tall so that can be noticed). But as the waves travel inland, they build up to higher and higher heights as the depth of the ocean decreases The speed of tsunami waves depends on ocean depth rather than the distance from the source of the wave. Tsunami waves may travel as fast as jet planes (500 mph) over deep waters, only slowing down when reaching shallow waters

Tidal vs. Tsunami While tsunamis are often referred to as tidal waves, this name is discouraged by oceanographers because tides have little to do with these giant waves Tsunamis are actually a series of waves, called wave trains The first is not necessarily the most destructive

What caused the tsunami and why was it so deadly? Your Task: Design your own diagram to explain what causes a tsunami and why tsunamis are so deadly

Tsunami Wavelength Long wavelengths (over 100 km) Periods longer than 1 hour 316,800 ft = 60 miles

Tsunami wave speed Travel at high speeds : 400 to 500 mph (~200 yards/sec)  Alaska to CA 4 to 7 hrs  Alaska to Hawaii 4 to 6 hrs  Chile to Hawaii 14 to 15 hrs  Chile to Japan 22 to 33 hrs

Tsunami waves swept away houses and cars in northern Japan and pushed ships aground. The tsunami waves traveled far inland, the wave of debris racing across the farmland, carrying boats and houses with it. Houses were washed away by tsunami in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture in eastern Japan, after Japan was struck by a magnitude 9.0 earthquake off the northeastern coast. New York Times The earthquake caused some damage – but the tsunami was devastating The tsunami, seen crashing into homes in Natori, Miyagi prefecture. AP

Nearby the earthquake there are only minutes to evacuate. However, in many other regions there is advance warning. A tsunami map shows projected travel times for the Pacific Ocean. This map indicates forecasted times only, not that a wave traveling those distances has actually been observed.. NOAA Projected travel times for the arrival of the tsunami waves across the Pacific

Effects of the Tsunami

Boats are swept by a wave after a tsunami and earthquake in Asahikawa city in Japan on Friday. The biggest earthquake to hit Japan since records began 140 years ago struck the northeast coast on Friday, triggering a tsunami that swept away everything in its path, including houses, ships, cars and farm buildings on fire.

The oncoming tsunami strikes the coast in Natori City, Miyagi Prefecture, northeastern Japan

Streets are flooded after a tsunami and earthquake in Kesennuma city, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan.

A fire burns at a passenger terminal at Sendai Airport after the airport was swamped by a tsunami in northeastern Japan in the wake of a major earthquake.

Effects: The day after in Kesennuma City, Miyagi (the worst hit area)

The effects: buildings have been destroyed, dragged around and destroyed, whilst people are in shock

Responses: The emergency services are trained to deal with the effects of earthquakes but were not prepared for anything on this scale

Effects: Damage Due to Tsunami Waves often full of debris (trees, cars, pieces of wood etc.) As the wave recedes, the debris drags more stuff with it Can recede as much as a km out to sea, leaving shoreline empty with flopping fish, boats, etc. on the bottom Post tsunami Sukuiso, Japan

Effects: Nuclear Problems Due to the Tsunami The tsunami caused a cooling system failure at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant resulted in a level 7 nuclear meltdown and release of radioactive materials About 300 tons of radioactive water continues to leak from the plant every day into the Pacific Ocean

Loss of Life and Property Damage The dead and missing now number 28,232,* and that number is still increasing. An additional 4,916 were injured by the disasters in Japan Nearly 60,000 pieces of property were completely destroyed, and over 158,000 were partially damaged. For comparison: – 4,081 people died from Hurricane Katrina –2,976 people died from the attacks on 9/11.

The Most Expensive Natural Disasters Emerging estimates are that this earthquake and resulting tsunami will be the most expensive natural disasters in history. The World Bank released an early estimate that damage might reach $235 billion, but the Japanese Cabinet Office has mentioned costs of up to 25 trillion yen** ($309 billion)… and those costs do not include lost economic productivity due to power outages, or the broader impact of the nuclear crisis. Hurricane Katrina, for comparison, cost an estimates $81 billion.

Effect on the Rest of the world The tsunami waves also traveled across the Pacific, reaching Alaska, Hawaii and Chile – In Chile (11,000 miles away) the tsunami was 6.6 feet high when they reached the shore tons of debris was carried out to sea Japanese docks and ships, and countless household items, have arrived on U.S. and Canadian shores The U.S. Coast Guard had to fire on and sink the derelict boat 164-foot Ryou-Un Maru in 2012 in the Gulf of Alaska –The ship started its journey in Hokkaido

Amazing Stories Following the disater, there were many amazing stories A man was rescued after his house has been dragged 10 miles out to sea by the returning water Japanese man learned to scuba dive to search for remains of wife (2014) Former aircraft mechanic (Yasuo Takamatsu, 57) The former aircraft mechanic has spent the last 36 months trying to find any trace of the his wife

Effect of the Tsunami 3 Years Later: Radioactive water was recently discovered leaking from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant People are still living in temporary housing