Tsunami in Japan March 2011

Background  Japan is located in a geologically unstable part of the world and was well-prepared for an earthquake.  Japan sits on the North American tectonic plate, which wraps up and around the Pacific plate. The Pacific plate moves about 3.5 inches a year and dives under the North American plate. Pressure builds up between the plates and can be released in one big movement, causing an earthquake.

Friday March 11, 2011  On Friday, March 11, at 2:45 in the afternoon, the ground shook with such force that houses crumpled and power went out, sending people rushing into the streets. The 9.0- magnitude earthquake also triggered a tsunami: a towering wave in the ocean that rushed in and swept away small towns along the coast.  Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan said, “In the 65 years after the end of World War II, this is the toughest and most difficult crisis for Japan."

What is a Tsunami?  A tsunami (Japanese for ‘harbor wave”), is a series of waves caused by the displacement of a large volume of water when the sea floor abruptly shifts.  Almost 200 tsunamis have been recorded in Japan, the most in the world.  Within minutes of the earthquake on March 11, waves of up to 33 feet struck Japan and traveled up to six miles inland.

Youtube – How fast the waves came..  m2c18OQM&feature=related m2c18OQM&feature=related  _-Z6mrA _-Z6mrA

Damage..  Several nuclear power plants in Japan were damaged following the earthquake; one is in a state of emergency.  Officials from the Japanese Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency have reported increased radiation levels up to 1,000 times normal levels inside several plants.