The 9.0 magnitude earthquake that struck Japan on March 11, 2011 was the fifth largest recorded worldwide since 1900. Centered 130 km off the coast of Sendai, it generated a massive tsunami that caused widespread damage and over 15,000 deaths. The earthquake and tsunami also triggered a nuclear disaster at the Fukushima Daiichi power plant, resulting in radiation releases and large evacuations due to partial nuclear meltdowns. International relief efforts and donations were mobilized to aid survivors.

1. MatthewMortimer
Japan Earthquake
A massive 9.0-magnitudeearthquakestruckJapan,Fridayafternoon,on
11 March 2011 at 0546 GMT. The quake wascentred130 kilometresto
the east of the prefecture’scapital,Sendai. A tsunami wassentcrashing
intothe country’snorth-easterncoast. Itwasoriginallyreportedata
magnitude of 7.9, butlaterwas upgradedto 8.9 and thento a 9.0. The
earthquake lastedatotal of 6 minutes.Itwas it the fifthlargestrecorded
worldwide since 1900, accordingto the U.S. Geological Service,larger
than the 7.9-magnitude GreatKantoEarthquake that devastatedTokyo
in1923 or the 6.8 magnitude quake thathitKobe in1995.
Causes
Japanis locatedonthe east edge of the EurasianPlate. The oceanicPacificPlate subductsthe
EurasianPlate. Thisplate marginisdestructive asfrictioncausesthe platestostick. Whenthe plates
stick,tensionbuildsup overtime.Whenthispressure issuddenly released,itcausesarapid shiftin
the platesanda lotof energytobe released,causingthe earthquake.
Impacts
Japanwas largelypreparedforthe earthquake andmanybuildings
remainedstandingafterwards.The damage costswere still high.
Damage was causedinTokyo andthere were manycasualtiesin
the north where the quake wascentred. A tsunami warningwas
extendedtoatleast50 nationsandterritories,asfaraway as South
America. The tsunami measuredbetween1to 7.3 meters andhit
at variousplacesalongthe coast. Anevenlarger 10-metertsunami
was seenatthe port in Sendai,nearthe epicentre. Aftershocks
causedfurtherdamage,withone hittingmagnitude 7.1. Tall buildingsswayedviolentlyincentral
Tokyoas the aftershockshit.
Two nuclearplantsonthe Pacificcoast inFukushimawere automaticallyshutdown. AtFukushima
the subsequenttsunami disabledemergencygenerators requiredtocool the reactors. Overthe
followingthree weeksthere wasevidence of apartial nuclearmeltdown aswell asvisible explosions.
Radiationreleasescausedlarge evacuations,concernover foodandwatersupplies,andtreatment
of nuclearworkers. The IAEA hasratedthe eventsatlevel 7,the same as Chernobyl,andthe highest
on the scale, meaningthatthere isa majorrelease of radioactive materialwithwidespreadhealth
and environmental effects. Intotal there were 15,893 deaths,6,152 injuredand2,572 people are
still missing. 1.2millionhomes were leftwithoutpowerand 1.4 millionhomeswithoutwater.
Relief
Several charities,includingSave the ChildrenUK,BritishRedCrossandWorldVisionUK,raised
moneythroughdonations. A Britishrescue teamhasarrivedinJapanto jointhe searchfor survivors
of the earthquake andtsunami. Fifty-nine searchandrescue experts,fourmedicsandtwosniffer
dogsflewout on a private charterplane with11 tonnesof equipmentonboard. Modern
innovations,suchasTwitterwere bringingupdatesonthe situationfarearlierthanthe media.