2011 Tohoku, Japan Earthquake and Tsunami

    On March 11, 2011, at 2:46 pm Eastern Standard Time, the largest recorded earthquake to ever hit Japan occurred 231 miles northeast of Tokyo, in the region of Tohoku. Originally recorded at an 8.9, the magnitude was later upgraded to a 9.1 (CNN, 2020). About an hour later, at approximately 4:00 pm, a tsunami generated in the Pacific Ocean overtook the coast of Japan, killing over 15,800 people, and leaving almost 3,000 unaccounted for (NOAA, 2011. CNN, 2020). The aftermath of the catastrophe is ongoing as of 2020.

    The earthquake that generated the tsunami which resulted in the death of thousands of people in Tohoku, Japan, was a result of thrust faulting on or near the subduction zone interface plate boundary between the Pacific and North America plates (NOAA, 2011). According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA), the location and depth are consistent with the action of the Pacific Plate thrusting under the Japan Trench, located beneath Japan (NOAA, 2011). This subduction of the Pacific Plate was the source of the massive 9.1 magnitude earthquake which would ultimately result in the catastrophic tsunami. 

    People began feeling the large foreshocks on March 9th, two days prior to the 9.1 M earthquake which occurred on March 11th. The largest foreshock felt on March 9th was a 7.8 M about forty kilometers from where the March 11th earthquake took place (NOAA, 2011). About an hour after the 9.1 M earthquake hit, a tsunami with waves reaching up to 130 feet enveloped the Tohoku region of Japan, taking out everything in its path for over 2000 kilometers (Mori et al. 2011). According to witnesses, shortly after the waves had subsided, it began to snow, which was interpreted by survivors as a cruel sign that nature shows no mercy (Meurer, 2020). 

    The majority of death and destruction which occurred as a result of this combination of natural disasters were ultimately caused by the tsunami, rather than the earthquake. As of 2015, there were 15,890 confirmed deaths, 2,590 missing, and 6,152 injuries as a result of the tsunami (NOAA, 2011). Further, the tsunami resulted in the loss of homes for 450,000 individuals, destroyed thousands of businesses, and devastated the Japanese infrastructure (National Geographic Society, 2020). The tsunami was also the direct cause of an event known as the Fukushima Nuclear Disaster, which consisted of the meltdown of three nuclear reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, wherein toxic, radioactive materials were released into the environment, forcing thousands to evacuate their homes and businesses immediately (National Geographic Society, 2020). This event alone will have ecological impacts for decades, if not centuries.

   In fact, several of the residual effects of this catastrophe will likely take lifetimes to

overcome. Virtually all infrastructural, economic, and biological resources that existed in Tohoku, Japan before March 11th, 2011 were demolished that day, leaving survivors no choice but to either leave permanently or to come back and start over from scratch. The roads, plumbing, and electrical systems which had been the basis of the region’s society were not only no longer functional, but no longer existed. The economic destruction imposed upon the community was devastating based on the amount of damage alone, but when the loss of businesses and assets which took place on such a massive scale is also taken into consideration, the severity of the situation starts to set in. The damage caused to the local environment was insurmountable, and continues to have implications for remote locations as well. The Japanese government estimates that the tsunami swept about five million tons of debris offshore, and that 70% sank, leaving 1.5 million tons of debris floating in the Pacific Ocean (CNN, 2020). With the percentage of plastics and other pollutants in the Pacific already  increasing at a rapid rate and breaking down to nanoparticles which can thereby be consumed by aquatic organisms, eventually working their way up trophic levels and reaching the top consumers, humans, this could potentially contribute to adverse health effects in species all across the globe for years to come. 

Tsunami waves overtopping seawalls in Iwate Prefecture, Japan (Taylor, 2016).

Cars and airplanes swept by a tsunami sit among debris at Sendai Airport (Taylor, 2016).

Houses burn at night following the tsunami in Natori City (Taylor, 2016).

Rare Video: Japan Tsunami, National Geographic

2011 Japan Earthquake - Tsunami Fast Facts. (2020, June 02). Retrieved October 23, 2020, from https://www.cnn.com/2013/07/17/world/asia/japan-earthquake---tsunami-fast-facts/index.html

Meurer, T. (2020). Tsunami Spirits. Unsolved Mysteries. Volume 2, Episode 4. Netflix.

Mori, N., Takahashi, T., Yasuda, T., & Yanagisawa, H. (2011). Survey of 2011 Tohoku earthquake tsunami inundation and run-up. Geophysical Research Letters, 38(7). doi:10.1029/2011gl049210

National Geographic Society. (2014, May 16). Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami. Retrieved October 23, 2020, from https://www.nationalgeographic.org/thisday/mar11/tohoku-earthquake-and-tsunami/

Taylor, A. (2016, March 10). 5 Years Since the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake. Retrieved October 23, 2020, from https://www.theatlantic.com/photo/2016/03/5-years-since-the-2011-great-east-japan-earthquake/473211/

United States, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Geophysical Data Center. (n.d.). MARCH 11, 2011 JAPAN EARTHQUAKE AND TSUNAMI.