Damaging tsunami waves struck the coasts of Iwate prefecture, just north of Miyagi prefecture, and Fukushima, Ibaraki, and Chiba, the prefectures extending along the Pacific coast south of Miyagi. [329], As a result of 7 April aftershock, Onagawa Nuclear Power Plant lost 3 of 4 external power lines and lost cooling function for as much as 80 minutes. The tsunami resulted in over 340,000 displaced people in the Tōhoku region, and shortages of food, water, shelter, medicine, and fuel for survivors. Because tsunami walls had been overtopped, the committee also suggested, besides building taller tsunami walls, also teaching citizens how to evacuate if a large-scale tsunami should strike. The source area of this earthquake has a relatively high coupling coefficient surrounded by areas of relatively low coupling coefficients in the west, north, and south. [74] A quake of this magnitude usually has a rupture length of at least 500 km (310 mi) and generally requires a long, relatively straight fault surface. However, the estimated intensities were smaller than the actual ones in some places, especially in Kanto, Koshinetsu, and Northern Tōhoku regions where the populace warning did not trigger. From the averaged coupling coefficient of 0.5–0.8 in the source area and the seismic moment, it was estimated that the slip deficit of this earthquake was accumulated over a period of 260–880 years, which is consistent with the recurrence interval of such great earthquakes estimated from the tsunami deposit data. Researchers soon after the full extent of the disaster was known launched a project to gather all digital material relating to the disaster into an online searchable archive to form the basis of future research into the events during and after the disaster. A tsunami—Japanese for “harbor wave”—is a series of powerful waves caused by the displacement of a large body of water. [50], A report by the National Police Agency of Japan on 10 September 2018 listed 121,778 buildings as "total collapsed", with a further 280,926 buildings "half collapsed", and another 699,180 buildings "partially damaged". For example, power plants were protected by seawalls 25 feet high. Entire towns were destroyed in tsunami-hit areas in Japan, including 9,500 missing in Minamisanriku;[142] one thousand bodies had been recovered in the town by 14 March 2011. A ship washed ashore during the 2011 Japan tsunami lies amidst wreckage in Kesennuma, Miyagi, Japan. "[61], The 9.1-magnitude (Mw) undersea megathrust earthquake occurred on 11 March 2011 at 14:46 JST (05:46 UTC) in the north-western Pacific Ocean at a relatively shallow depth of 32 km (20 mi),[5][62] with its epicenter approximately 72 km (45 mi) east of the Oshika Peninsula of Tōhoku, Japan, lasting approximately six minutes. [244][245] Although Japan has invested the equivalent of billions of dollars on anti-tsunami seawalls which line at least 40% of its 34,751 km (21,593 mi) coastline and stand up to 12 m (39 ft) high, the tsunami simply washed over the top of some seawalls, collapsing some in the process. [297] At Fukushima Daiichi and Daini, tsunami waves overtopped seawalls and destroyed diesel backup power systems, leading to severe problems at Fukushima Daiichi, including three large explosions and radioactive leakage. [98] Nearby Haneda Airport, built mostly on reclaimed land, was not damaged. [110], As of 16 March 2012 aftershocks continued, totaling 1887 events over magnitude 4.0; a regularly updated map showing all shocks of magnitude 4.5 and above near or off the east coast of Honshu in the last seven days[111] showed over 20 events. [251], All of Japan's ports were briefly shut down after the earthquake, though the ones in Tokyo and southwards soon re-opened. As of the end of May 2011, residents of Iwate, Miyagi, and Fukushima prefectures had requested deregistration of 15,000 vehicles, meaning that the owners of those vehicles were writing them off as unrepairable or unsalvageable. c. Nuclear Meltdown in 2011 Earthquake in Japan. [169] Also, at the slope of a nearby mountain from 400 metres (1,300 ft) away at Aneyoshi fishery port (姉吉漁港) of Omoe peninsula (重茂半島) in Miyako, Iwate, Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology found estimated tsunami run up height of 38.9 metres (128 ft). [131], The earthquake took place at 14:46 JST (UTC 05:46) around 67 kilometres (42 mi) from the nearest point on Japan's coastline, and initial estimates indicated the tsunami would have taken 10 to 30 minutes to reach the areas first affected, and then areas farther north and south based on the geography of the coastline. The epicenter of the quake was reported to be 129 kilometers (80 miles) off the east coast of the Oshika Peninsula, Tōhoku near Sendai. [268] Rolling blackouts began on 14 March due to power shortages caused by the earthquake. [373] There was no damage to the Historic Monuments and Sites of Hiraizumi in Iwate Prefecture, and the recommendation for their inscription on the UNESCO World Heritage List in June was seized upon as a symbol of international recognition and recovery. In Sendai, a 145,000-barrel (23,100 m3)-per-day refinery owned by the largest refiner in Japan, JX Nippon Oil & Energy, was also set ablaze by the quake. [378], Japan's national public broadcaster, NHK, and Japan Satellite Television suspended their usual programming to provide ongoing coverage of the situation. [94] The axial shift was caused by the redistribution of mass on the Earth's surface, which changed the planet's moment of inertia. Aftershocks continued, many exceeding magnitude-7.0. [189], Along the Pacific Coast of Mexico and South America, tsunami surges were reported, but in most places caused little or no damage. [282][283][284], A 220,000-barrel (35,000 m3)-per-day[285] oil refinery of Cosmo Oil Company was set on fire by the quake at Ichihara, Chiba Prefecture, to the east of Tokyo. The tremors were the result of a violent uplift of the sea floor 80 miles off the coast of Sendai, where the Pacific tectonic plate slides beneath the plate Japan sits on. [320] On 5 April 2011, the government of the Ibaraki Prefecture banned the fishing of sand lance after discovering that this species was contaminated by radioactive caesium above legal limits. [392] However, occurring as it did 373 km (232 mi) north east of Tokyo, the Tōhoku earthquake came as a surprise to seismologists. The break caused the sea floor to rise by several metres. But most deaths occur on the coast closest to the epicenter. [105][106][107], Four days later on 11 April, another magnitude 7.1 Mw aftershock struck Fukushima, causing additional damage and killing a total of three people. Major railways began running trains at 10–20 minute intervals, rather than the usual 3–5 minute intervals, operating some lines only at rush hour and completely shutting down others; notably, the Tōkaidō Main Line, Yokosuka Line, Sōbu Main Line and Chūō-Sōbu Line were all stopped for the day. [288] Others halted production due to safety checks and power loss. The tsunami raced outward from the epicentre at speeds that approached about 500 miles (800 km) per hour. The 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami was a 9.0-magnitude earthquake followed by tsunami waves. (2011, 19 March) "Japan Earthquake May Have Shifted Earth's Axis" – NPR online, PreventionWeb Great East Japan Earthquake 2011, Interactive Comparisons of Tōhoku Earthquake and Tsunami, Map to chronicle all known disasters in Japan from 416–2013, Foundation of the Covenant official and international dedicated to the victims of the tsunami, Nuclear power in Japan, section Seismicity, Fergana Valley (Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan), https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=2011_Tōhoku_earthquake_and_tsunami&oldid=998127086, 2011 natural disasters in the United States, Articles containing Japanese-language text, Articles with dead external links from June 2016, Short description is different from Wikidata, Wikipedia indefinitely move-protected pages, Wikipedia pages semi-protected against vandalism, Articles containing potentially dated statements from March 2016, All articles containing potentially dated statements, Articles with failed verification from February 2019, Pages using Sister project links with hidden wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, Port of Hachinohe area – 8–9 metres (26–30 ft), Sendai section of Shiogama-Sendai port – 8 metres (26 ft). City Region Country Injured Missing Deaths Damage costs References Aizuwakamatsu: Fukushima Prefecture: Japan: 6: 1: Asahi: Chiba Prefecture: Japan: 272: 2: 20: Chiyoda: Tokyo Metropolis: Japan: … Be sure to include lots of info. Of those who didn't heed the warning, 49% were hit by the water. Aid organizations both in Japan and worldwide also responded, with the Japanese Red Cross reporting $1 billion in donations. [314][315][316] Radioactive caesium, iodine, and strontium[317] were also detected in the soil in some places in Fukushima. A spill of "up to 3.8 litres" of radioactive water also occurred at Onagawa following the aftershock. JACL, which was founded in 1929, is the oldest and largest … At this time Japan's Disaster Management Office (Naikakufu Bosai Keikaku) published a bi-lingual guide in Japanese and English, Disaster Management in Japan, to outline the several varieties of natural disaster and the preparations being made for the eventuality of each. 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