Japan Earthquake
Japan Earthquake 2011, also known as Great Sendai Earthquake or Great Tohoku Earthquake is a severe natural disaster that occurred in northwestern Japan on March 11, 2011. The event began with a severe earthquake off the northern coast of Honshu, Japan's main island, which caused extensive damage on land and initiated a series of large Tsunami waves that destroyed several coastal areas of the country, particularly in the Tohoku region (Northeastern Honshu). The Japan Tsunami also initiated a severe nuclear accident at the power station along the coast.
The Japan Disaster
On March 11, 2011, at 2:46 AM, Japan was struck with a magnitude 9.0 earthquake with an epicentre 130 kilometres from its northern pacific coast. The earthquake created a destructive Tsunami with waves estimated to have reached 38 metres. The Japan earthquake 2011 damage and effects in terms of death, injuries, economy, and environment are immense.
Due to the severe Japan earthquake, three reactors in the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant were severely destroyed resulting in significant radiation emissions. On April 12, 2011, the government declared the impaired Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant as a level 7 accident on the International Nuclear and Radiological event scale, similar to that of the 1986 Chernobyl crisis. The government initially created a 20-kilometer exclusion zone around the plant from which the residents were evacuated. Later on May 15, 2011, the authorities began the ejection of those living within 30 kilometers as well as in other sites.
In the initial weeks and months of the Japan Disaster, more than 4 lakhs people were displaced, taking shelters in schools, hotels, public facilities, and homes of friends and relatives. Within 6 months, almost 3,35,000 people had moved into apartments or prefabricated houses provided or paid for by the government. According to the data issued by the Reconstruction Agency, an estimated 3,13,000 people were still displaced and relocated throughout 1215 municipalities as of March 2013.
Causes of Japan Earthquake 2011
The Japan earthquake was caused by a disruption of the outstretch of the subduction zone connected with the Japan stretch, which separates the Eurasian plate from the subducting Pacific plate. A portion of the subduction zone estimated 190 miles long by 95 miles wide stumbled as much as 164 feet to the east-southeast and thrust upward about 33 feet.
The March 2011 Japan disaster was felt as far away as Russia, Kao-hsiung, Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Taiwan, Beijing, and China. It was led by several aftershocks including a 7.2-magnitude event centered approximately 25 miles away from the epicenter of the main quake. The abundance of aftershocks, and dozens of 6.0 magnitude or greater and two of 7.0 magnitude or greater, were observed after the days and weeks of the Japan main quake.
March 11, 2011, earthquake was powerful enough to affect the area since the beginning of record-keeping in the late 19th century. It is considered one of the strongest earthquakes ever recorded. It was later reported that a satellite encircling at the outer edge of Earth’s atmosphere that day had detected infrasonics (very low-frequency sound waves) from the quake.
Japan Earthquake 2011 Damages
The Japan Earthquake 2011 was hit by an extensive earthquake that occurred in the Tohoku region, Northeast Japan, and subsequently by a giant tsunami. These disasters have caused extensive damage to the eastern coast of Japan. The earthquake’s magnitude was 9.0, the strongest ever observed in Japan. The tsunami was also unquestionable as its wave height reached over 38 m. As of early May 2011, over 24 thousand people were reported as dead or missing.
Also, severe accidents at the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plants No.1 were caused by the effects of the Japan tsunami. Hence, the damage observed by Japanese people can be seen as a huge complex disaster. Although Japan, and the northeast of Japan, in particular, has increased its awareness against earthquakes and tsunamis, huge damage still occurred. The Japan Earthquake resulted in severe damage. Following data were recorded by the Disaster Countermeasures Office (2011a), Office of Prime Minister, on the damage as of 27th April.
Human casualties during the Japan Earthquake include approximately 14,508 dead and 11,452 missing people. Since many areas were left to be investigated, the number was expected to be greater.
The number of extensively collapsed and wiped-out reached to approx 76,000, and the number of those with half and partial damage is approximately over 244,000. Following the severe earthquake, 345 fires were observed to have occurred in 12 prefectures, including cases where the tsunami triggered the fire.
Infrastructure damage was also very widespread. Reported damage included 3,546 areas along roads, 71 bridges, and 26 parts of the railway system. Such damage has a severe effect on the recovery as well as on economic activities. On the other hand, due to the long-term efforts for disaster preparedness, the hundreds of trains in operation, including Tohoku Shin-Kansen, were able to make emergency stops safely, without any deaths or serious injuries.
Basic infrastructure including water supply, electricity, gas lines, and sewage systems was also damaged.
The damage cost of the Tsunami is approximately between 16 and 25 trillion yen.
Impacts of Japan Earthquake 2011
Japan Earthquake 2011 followed by the nuclear crisis faced an immense negative impact on the Japanese economy but a lesser effect was observed in world trade and financial markets. Japan has lost major physical and human capital. Physical damage due to the earthquake has been estimated to be from ＄195 billion to as much as ＄305 billion. More than 23,000 Japanese were killed or missing, and more than 400,000 apartments and other buildings have been completely or partially damaged. The negative effects of the earthquake and tsunami have been heightened by the continuing crisis at the Fukushima nuclear reactors including evacuations, shortages of electricity, radioactive contamination, continuing aftershock, and extensive damage to homes, infrastructure, manufacturing plants, and other large buildings.
Japan Tsunami 2011 Facts
The Japan earthquake that occurred on 11th March 2011 was one of the gigantic earthquakes recorded in the last 100 years and caused shaking at the surface that lasted for approximately 6 minutes.
The magnitude of the earthquake was originally read as 8.9 but was recalculated as a magnitude of 9 as more data became available.
The Japan earthquake shortened Earth’s day by 1.8 microseconds (µs) and shifted Earth’s axis by 17 centimeters (cm).
The 9.0 magnitude earthquake was Japan’s highest recorded and the world’s third-largest earthquake since 1900.
The Japan Earthquake released a 39-meter high tsunami, killing almost 16,000 people and causing a nuclear meltdown at Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant.
The Seismic waves during Japan Tsunami caused icebergs to break off in Antarctica, water in Norwegian fjords to splash to and fro and debris from the tsunami washed up along the North American coastline.
Buildings destroyed by the Japan tsunami released thousands of tons of ozone-destroying chemicals and greenhouse gases into the air.
Conclusion
Therefore, the Japan Earthquake 2011 was one of the most severe natural disasters and considered as the most powerful one that occurred in Japan. It caused a number of deaths as well as infrastructure loss. This earthquake also led to a tsunami which led to nuclear disaster as well. All in all it was a deadly disaster. The Japanese Government did their best to deal with the disaster from early warnings to evacuation and saving lives, etc.
FAQs on Japan Earthquake 2011
1. What exactly was the 2011 Japan earthquake and tsunami?
The Great East Japan Earthquake, also known as the Tōhoku earthquake, was a massive undersea earthquake of magnitude 9.0–9.1 that occurred on March 11, 2011. Its epicentre was located off the Pacific coast of the Tōhoku region. This powerful seismic event triggered an extremely destructive tsunami, with waves reaching heights of up to 40.5 metres. These waves devastated coastal communities and led to the major Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster.
2. What caused the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake to be so powerful?
The immense strength of the earthquake was the result of a sudden rupture along the subduction zone associated with the Japan Trench. In this zone, the Pacific tectonic plate thrusts underneath the North American plate. Over centuries, immense stress built up and was released in a single event, causing the seafloor to violently uplift by several metres. This abrupt movement displaced a colossal volume of water, generating the powerful and far-reaching tsunami.
3. How large was the tsunami generated by the 2011 earthquake?
The tsunami was exceptionally large and destructive, far exceeding initial predictions. Its key characteristics include:
Wave Height: In some areas, such as the Miyako district of Iwate Prefecture, the waves reached a maximum height of 40.5 metres (133 feet).
Inland Reach: On flat coastal plains like Sendai, the tsunami travelled up to 10 kilometres (6 miles) inland, inundating cities and farmland.
Global Impact: The waves travelled across the Pacific Ocean, causing damage in locations as distant as Hawaii, California, and Chile.
4. What was the human and economic impact of the 2011 Japan disaster?
The disaster had a devastating and long-lasting impact. Official figures confirmed nearly 20,000 deaths, with over 2,500 people still listed as missing. The economic damage was estimated by the World Bank to be approximately $235 billion USD, making it the costliest natural disaster in recorded history. This figure includes the widespread destruction of homes, infrastructure, and businesses.
5. How long did the shaking from the 2011 Japan earthquake last?
The intense ground shaking from the main magnitude 9.0 earthquake lasted for an unusually long period, estimated to be between three and six minutes. This prolonged duration significantly weakened and destroyed thousands of buildings and infrastructure across the Tōhoku region even before the tsunami made landfall.
6. How did the 2011 tsunami lead to the Fukushima nuclear disaster?
The disaster unfolded in a sequence of events. First, the earthquake caused an automatic shutdown of the active reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. However, the subsequent tsunami waves, which were much higher than the plant's protective seawalls, flooded the entire site. This flooding disabled the emergency diesel generators required to power the critical cooling systems. Without cooling, the nuclear fuel in three of the reactors overheated and melted down, leading to hydrogen explosions and the release of significant radioactive material into the environment.
7. What is the importance of understanding an earthquake's epicentre versus its hypocentre?
Understanding the difference is crucial for explaining an earthquake's effects.
- The hypocentre (or focus) is the precise point within the Earth's crust where the seismic rupture begins. The depth of the hypocentre affects the intensity of shaking at the surface.
- The epicentre is the point on the Earth's surface directly above the hypocentre. It is usually the location where the most severe damage occurs.
8. What were the immediate response measures taken after the 2011 disaster?
Japan's government launched one of the largest disaster response operations in its history. An emergency command centre was set up in Tokyo, and approximately 100,000 members of the Japanese Self-Defense Forces were immediately mobilised. Their mission included search and rescue operations, delivering relief supplies like food and water, and clearing debris. Japan also accepted assistance from international rescue teams and coordinated a global aid effort.
9. Why is the 2011 Japan event often called the 'Tōhoku' earthquake?
The event is named after the Tōhoku region, which is the northeastern part of Honshu, Japan's largest island. This region experienced the most severe impact from both the earthquake and the tsunami. It is a common seismological practice to name major earthquakes after the geographical area they affect the most, which helps in identifying the specific event and its primary impact zone.
