Japan 2011
On the 11th March 2011 Japan suffered one of the worst Earthquakes and Tsunamis of all time. It happened in the north-east of Japan. The tsunami began when a 9.0 magnitude earthquake was triggered off the north-east coast of Honshu, the main island in Japan. The tsunami devastated many coastal regions in the area and also trigger a major nuclear problem at the power plant in Fukishima.
‘’The earthquake hit Japan at 2:46pm, with the focus being at a depth of 18.6 miles below the ocean floor of the Pacific Ocean.”(Britannia School, John P.Rafferty 2011) The epicentre was a mere 80 miles east of the city of Sendai. “The cause of the earthquake was a sudden break of the subduction zone associated with the Japanese Trench. The Japanese Trench separates the Eurasian plate from the subducting Pacific Plate. This subduction zone moved to the southeast by as much as 164 feet and burst upwards 33 feet causing the tsunami wave.” (Britannica School, John P.Rafferty 2011)
This process is called subduction, and a convergent boundary as the Pacific Plate went under the Eurasian plate causing the Eurasian plate to burst upwards. “The earthquake was felt as far away as Russia and Figure 1( Britannica School 2011) Beijing.” (Britannica School, John P.Rafferty 2011) It was followed by many aftershocks, one of a magnitude of 7.2, 25 miles away from the epicentre of the main earthquake. "It was the fourth most powerful quake ever recorded. (Britannica School, J P.Rafferty 2011.)
Figure 2 N.A Google Images
The eruption of the Pacific plate created many dangerous and destructive tsunami waves. “One wave measuring more than 33 feet” (Brita...
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... at $130 billion US dollars. The environment also suffered as well. The last existing wild panda’s habitat was damaged “more than 23% of it.” (e! Science News, 2009, Author N.A.) Also flooding and fires damaged rainforests and the forests surrounding Sichuan. But it was said that it wouldn’t take long for China to rebuild, meaning it would take less than 10 years.
To conclude the Japan 2011 earthquake had a greater impact compared to China 2008 because more people died and the economic loss was greater. Also the earthquake in Japan triggered a tsunami that did more damage to Japan than Chinas earthquake did to China and that’s because the earthquake was of a 9.0 magnitude not 7.9. It seemed like a lot of people were effecting in China, but that was because of how densely populated the area was. Overall Japan 2011 was a more powerful and destructive earthquake.
The scenario mentioned above was based on the rupture located along the Cascadia fault line. This fault system runs from Northern California to Vancouver Island about 700 miles off the shore (FOX5). Scientists use to believe that the San Andreas Fault was where a large earthquake tsunami would originate, but recently their attention has shifted to the Cascadia subduction zone which is now said to be much more dangerous than previously thought (FOX5). Recent earthquake events have added even more tension and possibility for a large-scale tsunami. On March 10, 2014, a 6.8 magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Northern California, which put a lot of stress on the Mendocino Triple Junction (Davidson). The Mendocino Triple Junction is where three tectonic plates collide, and is very unstable (Davidson). This junction has all this built up pressure and is about ready to explode. Scientists believe that this junction will be the origin of a tear along the 680-mile long Cascadia Subduction Zone. (Davidson). The disaster that follows will be considered the United State’s largest modern-day earthquake.
The tsunami in Thailand that occurred on December 26, 2004, was by far the largest tsunami catastrophe in human history. It was triggered by a magnitude 9.1-9.3 earthquake along the Indian-Australian subduction zone off the northern coast of Sumatra. The tsunami waves traveled primarily in the east to west direction and caused major damage along the coasts of southern Thailand. Unpredictably, it was a violent earthquake beneath the sea that initiated the massive waves and struck more than a dozen countries in Southern Asia. It also destroyed thousands of miles of coastline and even submerged entire islands permanently. Throughout the region, the tsunami killed more than 150,000 people, and a million more were hurt, homeless, and without food or drinkable water, making it perhaps the most destructive tsunami in the modern history. In spite of peninsular Thailand's location facing the northern part of this subduction zone, the lack of any written historical records, together with the lack of any major local seismic activity, the tsunami caused thousands of fatalities and huge economic losses in the popular tourist regions in Thailand. Immediately after the disaster, numerous organizations and individual citizens have helped out and contributed to this devastating tsunami. Indeed, the tsunami in Thailand was a worldwide event, with significant wave action felt around the world. In this context, I am focusing more on the key features of the tsunami’s natural causes, the psychological effects on citizens, the perspective of socio-economic impacts and the consequences of the tsunami calamity.
TOHOKU, Japan, Friday, Mar. 11 -Yesterday, a 9.0 magnitude Earthquake struck the east of Tohoku, Japan. The epicentre of the earthquake was located approximately 72 km east of Tohoku (38.3 degrees North latitude and 142.4 degrees East longitude), or 130 km east of Sendai as shown by the X in figure 3 below. The focus of the earthquake was 24.4 km under the epicentre. The earthquake therefore caused a tsunami due to the displacing of water above the Pacific Plate. The earthquake and tsunami together have caused approximately 20,000 deaths, 6152 injuries and 2500 people missing. Approximately 90% of these deaths were by drowning. Approximately 140,000 people have been displaced and over 500,000 buildings and structures have been destroyed or damaged. The early warning system of Japan stopped many bullet trains, and many residents received texted warnings of the earthquake and tsunami on their mobile phones giving them time to evacuate. Figures 1 and 2 show exactly how destructive the tsunami caused by the Tohoku Earthquake was.
In the early twentieth century, San Francisco, a bustling city full of people from diverse cultures, stood in the midst of the Second Industrial Revolution. At this time, the brilliant inventions of airplanes, automobiles, and radios were changing the everyday lives of many. San Francisco had just recovered from the four-year burden of the bubonic plague (“Bubonic”). However, right when things were going back to normal, a destructive earthquake hit the city on April 18, 1906. Although the shaking lasted for less than a minute, the devastated city had crumbled buildings and a substantial loss of lives. The San Francisco earthquake of 1906 consisted not only of earthquakes, but also of even more destructive fires; it had a scarring effect on the city and its people, yet it gave much of the knowledge that seismologists have today and allowed San Francisco to stand as a place of intriguing buildings and structures.
The Great Kanto Earthquake also known as the Tokyo-Yokohama Earthquake of 1923 hit the metropolitan area of Kanto on September 1st, 1923 around 11:58 pm. It was a 7.9 on the Richter magnitude scale, killing over one-hundred and forty thousand people due to its high magnitude and the time it happened. The earthquake struck around lunch time, when many Japanese people were at home cooking at their charcoal or gas fueled stoves. At the moment the earthquake hit, it knocked down buildings that caught flames from the stoves that fell over, enflaming the city. The fire was swept up and able to spread due to the gusts of wind that occurred for two days afterwards, resulting in firestorms. Charles Blauvelt experienced the ordeal of the fire describing the flames as “[covering] the whole city [as they] burned all day and night.” In addition to the firestorms and the earthquake itself, there was a shock because of all the fallen debris which triggered tsunamis to fill and flood Japanese cities. These tsunamis, that were about thirty feet tall, destroyed central Tokyo and immensely added to the death toll.
While the early warning saved thousands of people, the Japan’s Meteorological Agency underestimated this earthquake as the subduction zone of Japan should not produce the magnitude 9.0 quake (Oskin, 2013a). The Tohoku Earthquake and its tsunami approximately killed 16 thousand people, injured 6 thousand people and around 3 thousand people were missing. Most people died from drowning. Around 300 thousand buildings, 4000 roads, 78 bridges, and many more were affected by the earthquake, tsunami, and fires from leaking oils and gas. Electricity, telecommunication, and railways were severely damaged. The debris of 25 million ton was generated and carried out to the sea by water (BBC News, 2012). The country’s authorities estimated more than 309 billion US dollars of damages. Landslides occurred in Miyagi and liquefaction in Chiba, Tokyo, Odaiba, and Urayasu (USGS, 2013). Furthermore, the tsunami destroyed protective tsunami seawalls. Approximately 217 square miles of Japan covered in water (Oskin,
The Great Kanto Earthquake of Japan in 1923 was a complete shock to the nation. The destruction brought to Japan because of it affected 60% of Tokyo’s population. It is known to be the most destructive earthquake in Japanese history. Over 140,000 lives were affected in all. It wasn’t the earthquake itself that caused so much destruction, but the disasters that occurred after. As a result of the earthquake, multiple fires, a tornado, a typhoon, and a tsunami broke out and destroyed Tokyo, Yokohama, and all of its surrounding areas.
The impact of a tsunami is usually limited to coastal areas but the destruction could be immense. Buildings and anything in the path of the waves is in danger of being destroyed and washed away, such is the force of the wave. The 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami, which struck off the west coast of Indonesia with a magnitude of 9.1-9.3, left 250,000 people killed or missing in 14 different countries including Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India and Thailand.
The full extent of the economic impact of the Friday’s earthquake and tsunami became clear, with hundreds of factories were closed across Japan, warning blackouts and forecasts of economists that the disaster that would push the country into recession. Bank of Japan is preparing to pump billions of yen into the economy when he announced emergency "Budget earthquake" on Monday to prevent disasters derail the country's fragile economic recovery.
The 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami took place on December 26th, 2004 and had a magnitude of 9.15. The cause of the Sumatra Tsunami was due to the sliding of two tectonic plates. Sumatra, an island in Indonesia, is situated on the boundary of the two plates; part of Sumatra is situated on the India/Australian plate and the other part is on the Eurasian plate. The Indian/Australian plate and Eurasian plate connect on the ocean floor at the boundary, a little over 100 miles off the short of Sumatra. Sumatra was one among the many countries that was impacted by these natural disasters. To fully understand the Sumatra Tsunami one must examine the events that led up to it, what a tsunami is, and the damage caused.
The 2011 Japan earthquake and tsunami include many details common to earthquakes and tsunamis. Earthquakes are measured on a scale called the Richter scale. The highest magnitude is a 9.0. The Japan earthquake had an 8.9 magnitude. That feels like 20 billion kilograms of dynamite. There were a total of about 50 aftershocks, most of them had a magnitude of 6.0 or greater. The tsunami that hit Japan had waves as big as 32 feet. That is taller than a three story building.
The earthquake with magnitude 9.0 and tsunami hit many regions of Japan and destroyed everything on its ways. The effects could feel over the world. Tsunamis hit Pacific coastal lines in many countries. Numerous people died, missing, or homeless. People lived in shelter, without clean water, power, telecommunication, etc. Japan is still recovering from the damages with the help of foreign relief. Radioactive from the meltdown and the aftermath debris affects the global environment. Learning the mega-thrust earthquake will help us improves the warning system that could save people and avoid serious
People were not aware the earthquake was going to happen. To predict an earthquake is very expensive. People were not prepared for the earthquake, however it is more worth it to pay for new buildings destroyed in earthquakes than to save for years just to find out when the next one will be.
The Sendai earthquake that hit in Japan 2010 had a very big effect on the country. It destroyed 138,000 buildings and cost $360 billion in economic damage. The earthquake hit northeast Japan. This region was responsible for 6-8 percent of the country's total production. There, rebuilding took seven years. Japan's nuclear industry was
The Japan disaster was devastating, and it had an abundance of causes and effects. The nuclear disaster, the tsunami, and the earthquake were the causes of the disaster in Japan. In addition, the disaster had countless effects on the land and people in Japan. The disaster in Japan was as devastating and tragic as 9/11. Both events took a great number of lives and left their country shocked, but prepared them for anything similar that might happen in the future. Knowing the causes and effects of Japan’s disaster can prepare other people and countries around the world for a comparable disaster.