2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami facts for kids
Smoke from the Sendai Nippon Oil refinery
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| UTC time | 2011-03-11 05:46:24 |
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| ISC event | 16461282 |
| USGS-ANSS | ComCat |
| Local date | March 11, 2011 |
| Local time | 14:46 JST |
| Duration | 6 minutes |
| Magnitude | 9.0–9.1 (Mw) |
| Depth | 29 km (18 mi) |
| Epicenter | 38°19′19″N 142°22′08″E / 38.322°N 142.369°E |
| Type | Megathrust |
| Areas affected | Japan (shaking, tsunami) Pacific Rim (tsunami) |
| Total damage | $360 billion USD |
| Max. intensity | IX (Violent) |
| Peak acceleration | 2.99 g |
| Peak velocity | 117.41 cm/s |
| Tsunami | Up to 40.5 m (133 ft) in Miyako, Iwate, Tōhoku |
| Landslides | Yes |
| Foreshocks | List of foreshocks and aftershocks of the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake |
| Aftershocks | 13,386 (as of 6 March 2018) |
| Casualties | 15,897 deaths, +2 (Overseas), 6,157 injured, 2,533 people missing |
The 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami was a very powerful natural disaster that hit Japan. It happened on March 11, 2011, off the east coast of the Tōhoku region in Japan. The earthquake had a huge magnitude of 9.0 to 9.1, making it the strongest earthquake ever recorded in Japan's history. It was also the fourth most powerful earthquake on Earth since records began in 1900.
This massive earthquake caused giant tsunami waves that crashed into the coast. The disaster led to many deaths, injuries, and missing people. It also caused a lot of damage to buildings and important facilities.
Contents
What Caused the Earthquake?
An earthquake happens when two large pieces of the Earth's crust, called tectonic plates, suddenly move past each other. The 2011 Tōhoku earthquake was a "megathrust" earthquake. This means it happened where the Pacific Plate is slowly sliding under the North American Plate. When these plates got stuck and then suddenly slipped, it caused the ground to shake violently.
Foreshocks and Aftershocks
Before the main earthquake, there were smaller earthquakes called foreshocks. The biggest foreshock was a 7.2 magnitude earthquake that happened two days earlier, on March 9.
After the main earthquake, there were many more earthquakes called aftershocks. These are smaller quakes that happen as the Earth's crust settles. About 30 minutes after the main quake, a strong 7.7 magnitude aftershock occurred. Over 600 aftershocks bigger than magnitude 4.5 were recorded.
How Did the Earthquake Affect Japan?
The shaking from the earthquake was incredibly strong. It damaged many buildings and started fires in different places.
Impact on Transport
The earthquake stopped many forms of transportation.
- The Shinkansen (Japan's high-speed bullet trains) had to stop running.
- Haneda Airport was closed for a while.
- Many other train services across Japan were also halted.
- Hundreds of flights to Japan were cancelled, affecting many travelers.
- The Tōhoku Expressway, a major road in northern Japan, was closed because of cracks.
- The entire railway network was closed but reopened hours later.
- Up to 100,000 people were stuck in cities, waiting for a way to get home.
Fires and Power Plants
A large fire broke out at an oil refinery in Ichihara, Chiba prefecture. This added to the chaos and danger.
Japan's nuclear power plants automatically shut down when the earthquake hit. However, the cooling system at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant failed. This led to a serious situation where about 51,000 people had to move away from the area.
The Tsunami: A Giant Wave
The earthquake caused a massive tsunami. A tsunami is a series of huge ocean waves caused by large-scale disturbances, like earthquakes under the sea.
Tsunami Warnings and Impact
A tsunami warning was issued for Japan's Pacific coast and many other countries around the Pacific Ocean. These included New Zealand, Australia, Russia, Hawaii, and others. Japan's warning was the most serious, saying waves could be as high as 10 meters (about 33 feet).
The tsunami waves hit Japan's northern coast.
- A 0.5-meter wave hit first.
- Then, a four-meter-high tsunami hit the Iwate Prefecture.
- The Miyagi Prefecture was heavily flooded. The waves carried away buildings and cars as they moved far inland. In some areas, the waves reached 10 kilometers (about 6 miles) inland.
The tsunami waves traveled across the Pacific Ocean at speeds of about 500 kilometers per hour (310 miles per hour). A two-meter-high wave even reached California in the United States.
What Were the Effects of the Disaster?
The 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami had many serious effects on Japan and even the Earth itself.
People Affected
The Japanese National Police Agency confirmed that 15,890 people died, 6,152 were injured, and 2,590 people went missing across 18 prefectures. More than 126,000 buildings were damaged or completely destroyed.
The Fukushima Nuclear Accident
The Fukushima nuclear disaster started just hours after the earthquake.
- The power connection to the plant was broken.
- All power for cooling the reactors was lost, causing them to overheat.
- There was a partial meltdown in reactors 1, 2, and 3. A meltdown is when the nuclear fuel gets so hot it melts.
- Explosions destroyed the upper parts of the buildings holding reactors 1, 3, and 4.
- An explosion also damaged the inside of reactor 2.
- Fires broke out at reactor 4.
- Even reactors 5 and 6, which were shut down, started to overheat.
- Spent nuclear fuel rods, stored in pools, also overheated as water levels dropped.
This accident is considered the second biggest nuclear accident after the Chernobyl disaster. It was very complex because many reactors were involved. As a result, 4.4 million homes lost their electricity supply.
Changes to the Earth
The earthquake was so powerful that it actually changed parts of the Earth!
- Parts of northeast Japan moved as much as 2.4 meters (about 8 feet) closer to North America. This made Japan's land "wider than before."
- The Pacific plate itself might have moved west by up to 20 meters (about 66 feet). Some estimates say it slipped as much as 40 meters (about 131 feet) over a huge area. This would be one of the largest fault movements ever recorded.
- The earthquake also shifted the Earth's axis by 25 centimeters (about 10 inches). This small shift caused tiny changes to our planet.
- The Earth's rotation speed increased slightly, making each day shorter by 1.8 microseconds. This happened because the earthquake redistributed the Earth's mass.
These changes are expected for such a massive earthquake.
Emperor's Message
In response to the disaster, Emperor Akihito spoke directly to the people of Japan on television. This was the first time any Japanese emperor had used television in this way.
How Did Others Help?
Many people and countries offered help after this disaster. For example, Google created a "people finder" service. This allowed users to share or look for information about missing people, helping families connect.
Images for kids
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A seismogram recorded in Massachusetts, United States
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A visual depiction of the type of faulting that caused the main tremor, low-angle thrusting on a west-dipping fault plane
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Soil liquefaction in Kōtō, Tokyo
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Tōhoku earthquake and aftershocks from 11 to 14 March
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Satellite image shows snowfall on agricultural fields in Sendai area.
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Land subsidence and soil liquefaction at Shin-Urayasu Station in Urayasu, Chiba, near Tokyo
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NOAA tsunami energy map
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Water column height on 11 March 2011 at DART Station, 690 NM southeast of Tokyo
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The city of Rikuzentakata, Iwate Prefecture, suffered extensive damage from the tsunami, with almost the entirety of the lower area of the city being destroyed.
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Tsunami flooding on the Sendai Airport runway
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A Bonin petrel trapped in tsunami debris on Midway Atoll before being rescued
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Fishing boats that were moved to higher ground in anticipation of tsunami arrival, in Pichilemu, Chile
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Japanese Boat washed ashore the Oregon Coast, United States
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Rescue team searching for survivors. Snow arrived minutes before or after the tsunami, depending on locations.
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Panorama of Rikuzentakata
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A fire that broke out in Tokyo
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Snowfall in Ishinomaki, 16 March.
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Ship and crane damage at Sendai port
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Fire at the Cosmo Oil refinery in Ichihara
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An aerial view of the smoke from the Sendai Nippon Oil refinery
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A loose cow roaming through Namie, Fukushima after the area was evacuated
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Remains of Shinchi Station
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Damage to a traditional lantern at Tokiwa shrine in Mito City
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Emergency vehicles staging in the ruins of Otsuchi, Japan following the tsunami
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Anti-nuclear protest following the disaster
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See also
In Spanish: Terremoto y tsunami de Japón de 2011 para niños
