Tohoku blog
- 1. 2011 Tōhoku Earthquake and TsunamiMarch 11, 2011Megan McCulloughPresident – University of Notre Dame Student Chapter of the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute (EERI@UND)
- 2. Date: March 11, 2011Time: 5:46 UTC; 2:46 PM Japanese local time; 4:46 AM Eastern timeMagnitude: 9.0Location: 130 kilometers (81 miles) off the coast of the Oshika Peninsula of Tōhoku near Sendai373 kilometers (232 miles) from TokyoDepth: 32 kilometers (19.9 miles)Aftershocks: At least 517 (36above magnitude 6)Largest earthquake to hit Japan in recorded historyOne of five largest in the world in recorded historyEarthquake Quick Facts
- 3. Date: March 11, 2011Time: 5:46 UTC; 2:46 PM Japanese local time; 4:46 AM Eastern timeMagnitude: 9.0Location: 130 kilometers (81 miles) off the coast of the Oshika Peninsula of Tōhoku near Sendai373 kilometers (232 miles) from TokyoDepth: 32 kilometers (19.9 miles)Aftershocks: At least 517 (36above magnitude 6)Largest earthquake to hit Japan in recorded historyOne of five largest in the world in recorded historyEarthquake Quick Facts
- 4. Located where the oceanic Pacific plate subducts beneath the continental Eurasian plateThe subduction process, together with the friction created ‘drags’ the plates downwards, causing a deep-sea trench to be formedThe Japan Trench subduction zone is relatively volatile, experiencing 9 earthquakes of magnitude 7 or greater since 1973Japan Trench
- 5. Japan is the nation with the most recorded tsunamis in the world195 over a 1,313 year period, averaging one event every 6.73 years10-meter (33-foot) high tsunami wave observed in MiyagiAlaska Emergency Management reported a 1.55-meter (5.1-foot) wave at Shemya2-meter (6.6-foot) high tsunami in Chile (17,000 km away)Up to 2.4-meter (8-foot) tsunami surges in California and OregonLargest tsunami in Japanese history occurred June 15, 1896M8.5 earthquake off the coast of Sanriku, Japan25-meter (80-foot) waves killed 27,000 people and destroyed 170 miles of coastlineTsunami Quick Facts
- 6. Japan is the nation with the most recorded tsunamis in the world195 over a 1,313 year period, averaging one event every 6.73 years10-meter (33-foot) high tsunami wave observed in MiyagiAlaska Emergency Management reported a 1.55-meter (5.1-foot) wave at Shemya2-meter (6.6-foot) high tsunami in Chile (17,000 km away)Up to 2.4-meter (8-foot) tsunami surges in California and OregonLargest tsunami in Japanese history occurred June 15, 1896M8.5 earthquake off the coast of Sanriku, Japan25-meter (80-foot) waves killed 27,000 people and destroyed 170 miles of coastlineTsunami Quick FactsTsunami ocean energy distribution forecast map from NOAA
- 7. TsunamiSurging action of the wave and debris impact cause large loadsLarge lateral forces due to water velocityBuoyant forces may uproot a structureThree general stages:
- 8. Generation
- 9. Propagation
- 10. InundationM9.5 May 22, 1960 Valdivia ChileM9.2 March 28, 1964 Prince William Sound, Alaska, USAM9.1 December 26, 2004 Sumatra, IndonesiaM9.0 March 11, 2011 Tōhoku region, Japan M9.0 November 4, 1952 Kamchatka RussiaM8.8 February 27, 2010 Maule, ChileM8.8 January 31, 1906 Ecuador-ColombiaM8.7 February 4, 1965 Rat Islands, Alaska, USAM8.6 March 28, 2005 Sumatra, IndonesiaM8.6 August 15, 1950 Assam, India – Tibet, ChinaM8.6 March 9, 1957 Andreanof Islands, Alaska, USA11 Largest Earthquakes by Magnitude since 1900
- 11. Casualties: 5,321 dead, 2,383 injured, and 9,329 missingShips, cars, homes carried away by tsunami waves along the costEarthquake/Tsunami Impacts
- 12. Casualties: 5,321 dead, 2,383 injured, and 9,329 missingShips, cars, homes carried away by tsunami waves along the costEarthquake/Tsunami Impacts
- 13. Casualties: 5,321 dead, 2,383 injured, and 9,329 missingShips, cars, homes carried away by tsunami waves along the costEarthquake/Tsunami Impacts
- 14. Widespread fires due to broken gas linesLarge fire at the Cosmo Oil Refinery in Ichihara city in Chiba ProvinceState of emergency following the failure of the cooling system at one nuclear plantJapanese government ordered thousands of residents near a nuclear power plant in Onahama city to evacuate because the plant’s system was unable to cool the reactorEarthquake/Tsunami Impacts
- 15. Widespread fires due to broken gas linesLarge fire at the Cosmo Oil Refinery in Ichihara city in Chiba ProvinceState of emergency following the failure of the cooling system at one nuclear plantJapanese government ordered thousands of residents near a nuclear power plant in Onahama city to evacuate because the plant’s system was unable to cool the reactorEarthquake/Tsunami Impacts
- 16. Earthquake/Tsunami ImpactsMost of Tokyo left without power in the hours after the quakeParts of port areas floodedShinkansen train services suspendedNarita and Haneda Airports suspended operationsEarthquake bent the upper tip of the iconic Tokyo Tower, a 1,093-foot steel structure inspired by the Eiffel Tower