2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami
megathrust earthquake off the east coast of Japan / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami was a 9.0-magnitude earthquake followed by tsunami waves.[8] It was measured at 8.4 on the JMA seismic intensity scale[9][10] The earthquake happened 130 kilometres (81 mi) off Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture, on the east coast of the Tōhoku of Japan, on March 11, 2011 at 05:46:23 UTC. It was at a depth of 24.4 km (15.2 miles).[11] It was the most powerful earthquake to hit Japan in recorded history.[12] It was also the fourth most powerful earthquake on Earth since record-keeping began in 1900.
UTC time | 2011-03-11 05:46:23 |
---|---|
ISC event | 16461282 |
USGS-ANSS | ComCat |
Local date | March 11, 2011 (2011-03-11) |
Local time | 14:46:23 JST |
Duration | 6 minutes |
Magnitude | 9.0–9.1 (Mw) |
Depth | 29 km (18 mi) |
Epicenter | 38.322°N 142.369°E / 38.322; 142.369 |
Type | Megathrust |
Areas affected | Japan (shaking, tsunami) Pacific Rim (tsunami) |
Total damage | $360 billion USD |
Max. intensity | VIII (Severe) JMA 7 |
Peak acceleration | 2.99 g |
Peak velocity | 117.41 cm/s |
Tsunami | Up to 40.5 m (133 ft) in Miyako, Iwate, Tōhoku |
Landslides | Yes |
Foreshocks | List of foreshocks and aftershocks of the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake |
Aftershocks | 13,386 (as of 6 March 2018)[1] |
Casualties | 15,897 deaths,[2] +2 (Overseas), 6,157 injured,[3] 2,533 people missing[4] |
Citations | [5][6][7] |
On 10 February 2015, the Japanese National Police Agency report confirmed 15,890 deaths, 6,152 injured, and 2,590 people missing.[13]
Days before the main earthquake, there were several foreshocks. The biggest one was a 7.2 magnitude earthquake on 9 March, about 40 kilometres (25 mi) from the main earthquake's location.
The United States Geological Survey said the centre of the earthquake was 373 kilometres (232 mi) from Tokyo. A 7.7 aftershock happened 30 minutes following the first quake. There have been more than 600 aftershocks bigger than magnitude 4.5 or more.[14]
The earthquake started fires. The Shinkansen high speed bullet trains were stopped and Haneda Airport was closed after the quake.[15] Various train services around Japan were also stopped. Hundreds of flights to Japan were cancelled due to the earthquake and tsunami, affecting many people.[16] A large fire broke out at an oil refinery in Ichihara, Chiba prefecture.
The nuclear power plants shut down automatically. At first the Japanese Prime Minister said that no radioactive material leaked.[17] About 51,000 people were moved away from the nuclear reactor at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant in Fukushima city when its cooling system failed.[18] There are fears that the nuclear reactor might meltdown.[19]