2011 Tohoku Earthquake of Japan: Scientific Report

2011 TOHOKU EARTHQUAKE OF JAPAN: SCIENTIFIC REPORT

The Tohoku Earthquake in Japan was an unfortunate event that terrorized the rest of the world but deeply impacted the citizens on Japan. The Japanese citizens suffered under the constant strain to rescue and search for other people, scavenge for food, keep the family together and help others stay alive. Through the eyes of the Japanese we can see the horrifying images that occurred during the small period of time that the earthquake plus the tsunami had struck.

The 9.0 magnitude undersea mega thrust earthquake transpired on the 11th of March 2011 at 14:46 JST (Japan Standard Time) in the Western Pacific Ocean, off the coast of Japan, at a relatively shallow depth of 32 kilometres with its epicenter approximately 72 km east of Oshika Peninsula of Tohoke, japan which lasted around 6 minutes.

This earthquake occurred where the pacific Plates is sub ducting underneath the plate beneath northern Honshu. This is called convergent boundaries; as one tectonic plate (oceanic) moves under the other tectonic plate (continental), sinking into the Earth’s mantle as the plates converge. The Pacific plate, which moves at a rate of 8-9 cm per year, dipped under Honshu’s plate releasing large amounts of energy. The break caused the sea floor to rise by several metres. A quake of this magnitude usually has a rupture length of at least 480 km and a long, relatively straight surface.

The main earthquake was preceded by a number of large foreshocks and hundreds of aftershocks were reported. The 1st major foreshock was a 7.2 magnitude event on the 9th of March 2011 approximately 40km from the location of the Tohoku Earthquake. Following the quake was the 7.0 magnitude aftershock, which was reported at 15:06 JST followed by a 7.4 magnitude at 15:15 JST and a 7.2 earthquake at 15:26 JST.

The earthquake that was caused by 5 to 8 metres up thrust on a 180km wide seabed at 60km offshore from the east of Tohoku resulted in a...