The sudden horizontal and vertical thrusting of the Pacific Plate, which has been slowly advancing under the Eurasian Plate near Japan, displaced the water above and spawned a series of highly destructive tsunami waves.
Environmental impactsTsunamis not only destroy human life, but have a devastating effect on insects, animals, plants, and natural resources. A tsunami changes the landscape. It uproots trees and plants and destroys animal habitats such as nesting sites for birds.
They are removing spent fuel rods from cooling pools, reinforcing a seawall to protect from future tsunamis, treating radioactive cooling water leaking from the reactors and removing highly contaminated debris.
In terms of the death toll and the number of displaced people, this was the worst natural disaster in recorded history in Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Thailand. The total economic cost of damage was estimated at US$ 9.4 billion. In Aceh the cost of damage (US$4.5billion), was almost equal to its GDP in the previous year.
Immediate health concernsThe majority of deaths associated with tsunamis are related to drownings, but traumatic injuries are also a primary concern. Injuries such as broken limbs and head injuries are caused by the physical impact of people being washed into debris such as houses, trees, and other stationary items.
Short term effectThe short effect of the tsunami was that there was no homes, no food, no cloths. Many people lost there jobs when the tsunami attacked, many people injured. The tsunami also destroyed many people happiness.
The wave was the result of an earthquake with the epicentre close to Sumatra. The 2004 tsunami killed almost 2,00,000 people, destroyed property and 1000s of miles of coastline, leaving millions of people homeless. The devastation was so much that it completely washed away some of the islands in the Indian Ocean.
Tsunamis inflict damage by two mechanisms: the slamming force of a fast-moving wall of water, and the destructive strength of a large volume of water draining off the ground and bringing a large amount of debris with it, even with small waves.
Lesson SummaryA tsunami is a series of waves caused by an earthquake, underwater volcanic eruption, landslide or other abrupt disturbance. The most common cause of a tsunami is an earthquake, which is a sudden shifting of the earth's crust, which releases energy.
The economic destruction of the “Triple Disaster†was massive: 138,000 buildings were destroyed and $360 billion in economic losses were incurred. This was the most expensive disaster in human history. Japanese response to the earthquake and tsunami was rapid, effective and life-saving.
When plants die because of the tsunami, herbivores have no food so they die which gives less food to the carnivores which can result in them dying.
When tsunamis strike, birds and other small animals can be washed into the water and be unable to get back to dry land. Some may be pushed inland, far from their nests. Sea birds and fishes who live in shallow waters near the shore are buried alive in sand or debris and suffocate.
Air pollution is a serious environmental problem in Japan, particularly in urban centers. Toxic pollutants from power plant emissions have led to the appearance of acid rain throughout the country. Increase in acid levels due to industrial pollutants has affected lakes, rivers, and the waters surrounding Japan.
TOKYO (AP) — Ten years after a massive earthquake and tsunami devastated Japan's northeastern coast, triggering meltdowns at the Fukushima nuclear power plant, much has been achieved in disaster-hit areas but they are still recovering. The magnitude 9.0 earthquake was one of the strongest temblors on record.
The damage makes the 2011 Great East Japan earthquake and tsunami the most expensive natural disaster in historyIn Japan, the event resulted in the total destruction of more than 123,000 houses and damage to almost a million more. Ninety-eight percent of the damage was attributed to the tsunami.
Under the name Operation Tomodachi (Friend), all branches of the United States armed services in Japan were involved in rescue and relief activities. At the peak of operations, 20 U.S. ships, 160 aircraft, and more than 20 000 personnel were involved.
The tremors lasted for approximately 20 seconds. The focus of the earthquake was located 17 km beneath its epicenter, on the northern end of Awaji Island, 20 km away from the center of the city of Kobe.
Great Hanshin earthquake.
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| The damaged Kobe Route of the Hanshin Expressway |
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| Kobe |
| UTC time | 1995-01-16 20:46:53 |
| ISC event | 124708 |
Following the 2011 TÅhoku earthquake and tsunami, Japan received messages of condolence and offers of assistance from a range of international leaders. According to Japan's foreign ministry, 163 countries and regions, and 43 international organizations had offered assistance to Japan as of September 15, 2011.
More than 10 years after the 9.1-magnitude earthquake that rocked Japan on March 11, 2011 – triggering a devastating tsunami that destroyed much human infrastructure and left 20,000 dead – at least one coastal city in Japan is still recovering.
The magnitude 9.0–9.1 (M
w) undersea megathrust earthquake had an epicenter in the Pacific Ocean, 72 km (45 mi) east of the Oshika Peninsula of the TÅhoku region, and lasted
approximately six minutes, causing a tsunami.
2011 TÅhoku earthquake and tsunami.
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| Local time | 14:46 JST |
| Duration | 6 minutes |
| Magnitude | 9.0–9.1 (Mw) |
| Depth | 29 km (18 mi) |