Japan - 11-Mar-2011, M8.9

At around 2:46pm JST on March 11, 2011, the 8.9 magnitude Sendai Earthquake hit the Pacific Ocean near Honshu prefecture in Japan (Northeastern part of Japan).  Over thirty aftershocks have already occurred throughout the northeastern part of Japan, ranging from 6.2 to 7.7 in magnitude.  (Update: Now over 140 aftershocks have been reported)  This high level earthquake was the first of this magnitude in all of Japanese history.

Japan is no stranger to devastating earthquakes and tidal waves.  Up until yesterday the worst earthquake in Japanese history, the Great Kanto, hit the Kanto plain (near Tokyo) with a 7.7 magnitude in 1923, which killed over 100,000 people.  This earthquake is now considered to be the second largest earthquake in Japanese history.  In 1995, the Southern Hyogo/Great Hanshin Earthquake hit the city of Kobe with a 6.8 magnitude.  This earthquake killed 6,000 and injured 415,000 people.

The earthquake that occurred yesterday caused Japan massive fires, blackouts, and tsunamis.  The massive Tsunami that hit the Northeastern portion of Japan was 10m high, destroying nearly everything in it's path.  A lot of debris build-up and continuing death poll was caused by this massive wave.

As we all can imagine, this earthquake has and will cause numerous aftershocks and other earthquakes within the Pacific.  Prime example, Hawaii was hit last night by a 4.5 magnitude earthquake.  Thankfully, there were no immediate reports of injuries or damages from the quake that hit the Big Island about 30 miles southeast of Hilo just before 11 pm yesterday (0900 GMT Friday). 


What exactly is a Tsunami?  According to NOAA's National Ocean Service: "Tsunamis are giant waves caused by earthquakes or volcanic eruptions under the sea. Out in the depths of the ocean, tsunami waves do not dramatically increase in height. But as the waves travel inland, they build up to higher and higher heights as the depth of the ocean decreases. The speed of tsunami waves depends on ocean depth rather than the distance from the source of the wave. Tsunami waves may travel as fast as jet planes over deep waters, only slowing down when reaching shallow waters."

Giant whirlpools even began forming after the tsunami hit.  According to Ruth Ludwin, a retired seismologist at the University Washington in Seattle, stated that whirlpools are a cause of "the interaction between rushing water and the geology of the coastline and seafloor."

AP Photo/Kyodo News

Tsunami swirls near a port in Oarai, Ibaraki Prefecture (state) after Japan was struck by a strong earthquake off its northeastern coast Friday, March 11, 2011

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2011/03/11/japans-tsunami-triggered-enormous-whirlpool/#ixzz1GQ7PAJMw

The next fear on everyone's minds after an earthquake such as this is where else will the damage of the giant tsunami take place?

Below is a video of the predicted propagation (forward progression) of the tsunami across the Pacific ocean from NOAA.

There are over 50 countries that have been put under a Tsunami warning for this earthquake in the Pacific.    California & Oregon were hit this morning with waves ranging from 1.7 to 8.2 feet in height.  Only one death is currently reported in California.  The Tsunami waves that hit the Western portion of Hawaii went up to 11 feet in height and in over 600 feet from the coast in some areas.

Rafael Correa, Ecuador's president, declared a national emergency and ordered the entire coastal region to be evacuated. Correa said: 'If nothing happens, then that's great, but we can't take any risks.'  Ecuador's heavy crude oil pipeline operator suspended oil shipments.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1365243/Japan-tsunami-wreaks-millions-dollars-damage-Californian-harbours-US-west-coast.html#ixzz1GQCVvcAY

Currently, the death toll is over 1,000 in Japan, but tens of thousands are reported missing.  With the amount of wreckage that occurred in Japan, the death toll continues to rise, but we still do not have an exact number of the people dead or injured.  This number will surely be known in the coming month.


Resources:


1. Earthquake Engineering Research Institute: http://www.eeri.org/site/reconnaissance-activities/70-japan/1020-m89-sendai-japan-march-11-2011-054623-utc-

2. USGS (United States Geological Survey): http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/world/index.php?region=Japan

3. NDAA Wave Height Photograph: http://dc-cdn.virtacore.com/2011/03/109955062.jpg

4. Tsunami Travel Times Photograph: http://wcatwc.arh.noaa.gov/2011/03/11/lhvpd9/16/ttvulhvpd9-16.jpg

5. Japan-Guide.com: http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2116.html

6. Whirlpool Photograph: http://a57.foxnews.com/static/managed/img/Scitech/604/341/japan%20tsunami%20whirlpool.jpg

7.Daily Mail - UK: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1365243/Japan-tsunami-wreaks-millions-dollars-damage-Californian-harbours-US-west-coast.html

8. CNN: http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2011/03/11/live-blog-japan-earthquake/