4/13/2015
TsunamiHitsJapanAfterMassive8.9Earthquake|NaturalDisasters|HowTsunamisWork
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TsunamiHitsJapanAfterMassive8.9Earthquake
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TsunamiHitsJapanAfterMassive8.9Earthquake|NaturalDisasters|HowTsunamisWork
byJeannaBryner,LiveScienceManagingEditor|March11,201104:54amET
Submit
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Update5:00p.m.EST:
Muchoftheharborin
CrescentCity,
California,hasbeen
destroyed,andone
personisfeareddead,
accordingtotheLos
AngelesTimes.In
Chile,officialshave
upgradedatsunami
warningtoanalertand
orderedcoastal
residentstoevacuate,
CNNChilereported.
RelatedCoverage
VideooftsunamistrikingKamaishi,Japan,March11,2011.
Credit:NHKviaAP Viewfullsizeimage
EarthquakeForces
ClosureofJapan's
SpaceStationControl
Center
FAQ:WhatstheScienceBehindJapansQuakeandTsunami?
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ImageoftheDay:TravelingTsunami
Update3:05p.m.EST:
TheU.S.NationalOceanicandAtmosphericAdministrationreleasedavideoshowinghowthetsunamihas
spread.CrescentCity,California,hasbeenhithard,withreportsofwavesupto6feet(1.8meters)tall.
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Update2:42p.m.EST:
Amagnitude6.2earthquakehasstruckoffthewestcoastofHonshu,butit'snotclearyetifit'srelatedtothe
8.9magnitudequake.Therehavebeenabout100aftershocksofmagnitude5orgreatersincethemainshock,
accordingtotheUSGS.Atapressconference,scientistssaidtheentireislandofHonshumovedeastwardby
8feet(2.3m).
Update1:10p.m.EST:
InHawaii,thePacificTsunamiWarningCenterhaseliftedtheevacuationorder.Waveshavereached
northernCalifornia,withheightsof2.5feet(0.7meters)atPointArena,1.6feet(0.5m)atSanFranciscoand
2.4feet(0.7m)atMonterey.
Update11:55a.m.EST:
InHawaii,thePacificTsunamiWarningCenterisreportingwavesof4.6feet(1.5meters)inHilo,Big
Island,5.7feet(1.7m)inKahului,Maui,and2.3feet(0.7m)inHonolulu.Australia,Mexico,Centraland
SouthAmericaarealsounderatsunamiwarning
Update11:30a.m.EST:
Thelatestdeathtollisnowat137,with531reportedmissing,accordingtotheKyodoNewsAgency,citing
police.Additionally,200to300bodieshavebeenfoundincoastalSendai,CNNreported.IntheUnited
States,tsunamiwavesarebeingreportedneartheCaliforniaOregonborder,inPortOrford,Oregon,and
CrescentCity,California.
Update10:40a.m.EST:
Japan'sKyodoNewsService,citingJapan'sdefenseforces,said60,000to70,000peoplewerebeing
evacuatedtosheltersintheSendaiarea.InHawaii,wavesupto7feet(2meters)highhitnearMaui.The
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wavesarerollinginevery15minutes.Nomajordamagehasbeenreportedinthetwohourssincethefirst
waveshit.
Belowisouroriginalnewsstory,whichremainsasoriginallyposted:
Editor'sNote:Thisstorywasupdatedat9:25a.m.EST.
An8.9magnitudeearthquakestrucknorthernJapantoday(March11),triggeringtsunamisacrossthearea
thatreportedlysweptcars,buildingsandotherdebriswellinland.
Theepicenterof
theMarch11
earthquakeoccurrednearthe
eastcoastofHonshu,Japan.
Credit:USGS
Viewfullsizeimage
Theepicenteroftheearthquakewas231miles(373kilometers)northeastofTokyoand80miles(130km)
eastofSendai,Honshu,accordingtotheU.S.GeologicalSurvey.
Atsunamiisaseriesofwaveswherethefirstonemaynotbethelargestwaveheightscan'tbepredictedand
canchangeasthewaterhitsthecoast,accordingtotheUSGS.
TheMarch11earthquakewasprecededbyaseriesoflargeforeshocksoverthelasttwodaysthefirstof
whichwasa7.2magnitudequakeonMarch9about25miles(40km)fromtheMarch11earthquake.
Today'stembloroccurredasaresultofthrustfaultingonornearthesubductionzone,whereEarth'sPacific
platethrustsunderneathJapanattheJapanTrench.
TheJapanMeteorologicalSocietyhasforecastmoremajortsunamisinthearea,withsomeexpectedtoreach
morethan30feet(10m)offthecoastofHokkaido,Japan'ssecondlargestisland.Atsunamiwasalso
generatedoffthecoastofHawaii,onethatcouldcausedamagealongthecoastlinesofallislandsinthestate
ofHawaii,accordingtothePacificTsunamiWarningCenter.TsunamiwarningsareineffectacrossHawaii
aswell.
ATsunamiWarningisalsoineffectfor:
CoastalareasofCaliforniaandOregonfromPointConcepcion,Calif.,totheOregonWashington
border.
CoastalareasofAlaskafromAmchitkaPass,Alaska(125mileswestofAdak)toAttu,Alaska.
(ATsunamiWarningisthehighesttsunamialertandmeansatsunamiisimminent.Allcoastalresidentsin
thewarningareawhoarenearthebeachorinlowlyingregionsshouldmoveimmediatelyinlandtohigher
groundandawayfromallharborsandinletsincludingthosesheltereddirectlyfromthesea.)
ATsunamiAdvisoryisineffectfor:
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CoastalareasofCaliforniafromtheCaliforniaMexicobordertoPointConcepcion,Calif.
CoastalareasofWashington,BritishColumbiaandAlaskafromtheOregonWashingtonborderto
AmchitkaPass,Alaska.
(ATsunamiAdvisoryisthethirdhighesttsunamialertandmeansthatatsunamicapableofproducingstrong
currentsorwavesdangeroustopeoplenearwaterisexpected.)
Asforwhysomeearthquakestriggertsunamisandothersdon't,scientistssayseveralfactorscomeintoplay,
includingthestrengthofthequake(below7.5or7.0magnitudequakesdon'ttypicallycausetsnamis),the
directionofthetemblor'smotionandthetopographyoftheseafloor,accordingtotheUSGS.
Editor'sRecommendations
EarthquakesandTsunamis:HowTheyWork
NaturalDisasters:Top10U.S.Threats
WhyDoSomeEarthquakesCauseTsunamisButOthersDon't?
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AuthorBio
JeannaBryner
Beforebecomingmanagingeditor,JeannaservedasareporterforLiveScienceandSPACE.comforabout
threeyears.PreviouslyshewasanassistanteditoratScholastic'sScienceWorldmagazine.Jeannahasan
EnglishdegreefromSalisburyUniversity,aMaster'sdegreeinbiogeochemistryandenvironmentalsciences
fromtheUniversityofMaryland,andasciencejournalismdegreefromNewYorkUniversity.
JeannaBryneron
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