The earthquake ranks third among the world’s largest earthquakes. The tsunami it generated was observed in coastal tide gauges in more than 25 countries, including Chile, Antarctica and even the Atlantic coast of Brazil.
On Friday, March 11, 2011, it was recorded he earthquake stronger happened in Japan since seismographic data are available.
The earthquake is known as Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami hit the northeast coast of the Asian country and had a magnitude of Mw = 9.1 according to data from National Environmental Information Centers (NCEI) of the United States.
The clock was showing 14:46 (UTC+9) when the strong movement off the coast of Honshu Japan’s main island, shook the seabed and gave birth to a devastating train of large waves tsunami (some up to 40.5 meters) that have advanced towards a vast coastal area of the country, mainly in the region of Tohoku .
The worst was yet to come.
How the Great Japan Earthquake of 2011 Happened
The major earthquake of March 11, 2011 occurred on a compressional fault at the boundary of the subduction zone between the Pacific and North American plates, according to reports from the United States Geological Survey (USGS, for its acronym in English), which specifies that Subduction occurs when one oceanic plate sinks beneath another. .
The organization said the Pacific plate is moving approximately westward at a speed of 83 mm/year relative to the North American plate. And the Pacific plate is sinking under the island into the Japan Trench and continuing its movement under the Eurasian plate.
“The location, depth, and focal mechanism of the March 11 earthquake are consistent with an earthquake occurring on a fault with reverse motion associated with subduction within this plate margin,” the USGS technical report said.
Preceded by a series of major aftershocks, the great earthquake of March 11 in Japan, recorded more than 370 km from the capital Tokyo, was preceded by the earthquake of March 9 in Japan. 7.2 (about 40 km from the March 11 earthquake) and three major M events 6 that same day.
This is a field of Pacific Ring of Fire where 9 events of magnitude equal to or greater than 7 have occurred since 1973, in addition to potential to generate tsunamigenic events .
As data, a report from the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO indicates that more than 80% of tsunamis occurring worldwide have been generated by earthquakes, and that 70% of them have been observed in the Pacific Ocean where large earthquakes occur. . earthquakes due to the subduction of tectonic plates along the Ring of Fire.
What damage was caused by the Great Japan Earthquake and Tsunami?
The 9.1-magnitude earthquake generated a tsunami that hit the coast of Japan in less than half an hour. Waves reached 40 meters in the prefecture of Iwate and, according to the USGS, a 2,000-kilometer stretch of Japan’s coastline was hit by a series of dangerous waves.
The main consequence of the tsunami was the interruption of the electricity supply and the cooling of three reactors. Fukushima Daiichi which caused a major nuclear accident which National Environmental Satellite, Data and Information Service (Nesdis, for its acronym in English) describes level 7 (serious accident ) on an international scale of nuclear and radiological events, due to the high radioactive emissions recorded .
Following the earthquake and especially the tsunami that followed, Japan has suffered enormous loss of life and severe damage to infrastructure and the environment .
Nearly a decade after the earthquake, the Japan National Police announced the scale of the disaster in December 2020: more than 15,000 dead, 2,527 missing and presumed dead and 6,157 injured .
On the material level, More than 120,000 homes have been lost and destroyed, while more than a million have been affected .
According to the document, 98% of the damage was attributed to the devastating tsunami .
What was the tsunami like that crossed the Pacific Ocean after the Great Japan Earthquake?
In addition to being considered the largest earthquake ever recorded in the Asian country, The Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami became the third largest in the world since 1900. as detailed by the American services.
It was so significant that, although most of the impacts and damage occurred in the Asian country, the Great Japan Earthquake was a global event.
The tsunami that triggered the 9.1-magnitude earthquake was observed in coastal tide gauges in more than 25 countries in the Pacific Ocean basin, in Antarctica and even on the western Atlantic coast of Brazil, according to a report published by the NCEI where more than 6,200 wave measurements were collected in the Pacific region alone.
From Geneva, the Red Cross warned that the tsunami caused by the earthquake in Japan “It is already higher than that of some Pacific islands. » that you are going to go through.
Quickly, the Hydrographic and Oceanographic Service of the Chilean Navy (SHOA) issued a tsunami warning in the country and said waves from Japan would hit the coast of Easter Island.
The then president Sebastian Pinera He explained that the Easter population would be evacuated to the 45-metre-high airport.
The geographer Marcelo Lagos He said that the Japanese tsunami waves could reach Chile “in 23 hours.” As he explained, “the tsunami waves from Chile that reached Japan (during the 27 F, magnitude 8.8 earthquake) did not exceed two meters,” so he expected the effect to repeat itself in reverse.
As summarized by the reworded site National Emergency Office (formerly ONEMI, today Senapred), Chiloé presented a sea variation of 8 meters, causing 10 small vessels damaged and 20 others adrift. In Cardenal Caro, the sea entered by 70 meters, crossing the street and reaching the maritime government. In Dichato, the sea advanced 100 meters, crossing a Meccan bridge. In Pelluhue, there was a significant increase in waves. And in Algarrobo, the beach is flooded, but the retaining walls of the city prevent the passage of the sea.
Product of the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami, In Chile, about 200 homes were affected and no people were injured. .
“Chile is a country with high seismic activity,” recalls the Navy Rear Admiral and director of SHOA. Arturo Oxley In an instruction of the body.The largest recorded instrumental earthquake in history occurred off its coast in 1960, generating a destructive tsunami in the Pacific Ocean. “.
The current director of Senapre , Alicia Cebrian explained to The Third that “if an earthquake occurred in Japan, it could generate a tsunami on our coasts, but given the distance between the two countries,” possible waves would not arrive before 8 p.m. Thus there would be enough time for people to follow the directions and instructions provided by the authorities “.
Source: Latercera
I am David Jack and I have been working in the news industry for over 10 years. As an experienced journalist, I specialize in covering sports news with a focus on golf. My articles have been published by some of the most respected publications in the world including The New York Times and Sports Illustrated.
