Page 176 - Super Earth Encyclopedia

WAVE OF DEATH

JAPANESE TSUNAMI

On Friday, March 11, 2011, at 2:46 pm, part of the
Pacific Ocean floor suddenly slipped at least 66 feet
(20 meters) west beneath central Japan, causing a massive
earthquake. As the rocks gave way, part of the seabed
sprang up by 23 feet (7 meters), pushing up broad, shallow
waves that raced across the ocean toward the east coast of
Japan. As they swept into shallow water, these waves were
slowed down. But this made them pile up into gigantic
walls of water that surged ashore in devastating tsunamis.
Entire coastal towns were wiped out, and thousands of
people died as they were overwhelmed and drowned
by the deluge of water and floating debris.

AT A GLANCE

• LOCATION Triggered by earthquake
in the Japan Trench off Sendai in
northern Honshu, Japan
• EARTHQUAKE MAGNITUDE 9.0
• TYPE Fault rupture at convergent
plate boundary
• AREA FLOODED 216 sq miles
(560 sq km)

STATS AND FACTS

SUDDEN SHIFT FLOATING DEBRIS
The tsunami was far
more destructive than The main island An estimated
of Japan, Honshu,
5.5 million tons
the earthquake that shifted east by of debris was
caused it. The waves 8 ft (2.4 m) due to carried out
the earthquake.
to sea.
also traveled across
DISASTER ZONES and even Antarctica. DESTRUCTION UNDERSEA EARTHQUAKE
the Pacific, reaching
Alaska, Hawaii, Chile,
The tsunami waves
The sea floor
caused damage up
rupture was
about 300 miles
to 128 ft (39 m)
(500 km) in
above the normal
length.
sea level.
UP TO
COASTAL WAVE HEIGHT
33
FEET
174 (10 M)

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