Location
Tohoku is located at the top of Japan's main island, Honshu. It is made up of 6 areas named: Aomori, Akita, Fukushima, Iwate, Miyagi and Yamagata.
Features
Lots of the region is covered by oak forest. There is a large amount of cherry blossom areas. In the middle of Tohoku there is a long mountain range. There is a few plains and lots of river basins. One quarter of Japanese rice is produced here. Apples, cherries and other goods are grown here. There is a fishing port called Hachinohe that is very popular with tourists and a large amount of fishies are caught there.
Hazard Details and How it Happened
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There was a 9.0 magnitude earthquake about 30 kilometres underwater and approx. 70 kilometers off shore. It occured at 14:46:24 JST on March 11, 2011. It triggered waves up to 40.5 metres high. The earthquake was so strong that it moved Honshu 2.4 meters to the East. The epicenter of the quake was 38.322 degrees N and 142.369 degrees E. The earthquake happened out that far because that is where the fault lines are located. The earthquake lasted about 3 minutes and made a 130km rupture in the ocean floor. The tsunami did not effect just Japan. It also affected quite a large amount of the pacific rim. The tsunami was so strong and fast that it lasted more than 20 hours and it went the whole way around Indonesia and got to the East coast of Australia.
In theory, an earthquake in this area should have only been 8.0 maximum but it blew people away to know it was 9.0 magnitude because thats 32x more powerful. The earthquake occurred because the ocean just outside Tohoku in the ocean is where two tectonic plates rub against, so it makes Japan a prime target for tsunamis. |
Short Term effects
There were quite a few short term effects of this huge disaster. One of the most obvious was panic among all the citizens. There was looting and theft from lots of abandoned shops. More than 20 thousand people were killed by the tsunami and 750 thousand homes were destroyed.
Long Term Effects
The tsunami caused 3 level 7 nuclear meltdowns, the most known one the destruction in Fukushima, which will still be restricted for safety hazards for a long time yet. About 300 thousand people still live homeless because of the tsunami. It is estimated that up to 310 billion dollars could be spent total to completely sort out the effects of this disaster. Many areas in Tohoku have not recovered even after 5 years.
There were quite a few short term effects of this huge disaster. One of the most obvious was panic among all the citizens. There was looting and theft from lots of abandoned shops. More than 20 thousand people were killed by the tsunami and 750 thousand homes were destroyed.
Long Term Effects
The tsunami caused 3 level 7 nuclear meltdowns, the most known one the destruction in Fukushima, which will still be restricted for safety hazards for a long time yet. About 300 thousand people still live homeless because of the tsunami. It is estimated that up to 310 billion dollars could be spent total to completely sort out the effects of this disaster. Many areas in Tohoku have not recovered even after 5 years.
Bibliography
http://irides.tohoku.ac.jp/media/images/organization/risk/tel_02.jpg
http://www.voanews.com/a/japan-tsunami-estimated-costliest-ever-disaster-118644489/137021.html
https://youtu.be/8sDebHHDpW8
http://www.livescience.com/27776-tohoku-two-years-later-geology.html
http://www.livescience.com/39110-japan-2011-earthquake-tsunami-facts.html
https://earth-pages.co.uk/2013/12/30/how-the-great-tohoku-earthquake-and-tsunami-happened/
https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRjcj5fkCX-DUelErNK8p1pY_ytoh87z2ARNkO0Uynineop-_iJWw
http://www.japan-guide.com/g7/0018_new_01.jpg
My boy Lost for giving some information on the landscape
http://www.voanews.com/a/japan-tsunami-estimated-costliest-ever-disaster-118644489/137021.html
https://youtu.be/8sDebHHDpW8
http://www.livescience.com/27776-tohoku-two-years-later-geology.html
http://www.livescience.com/39110-japan-2011-earthquake-tsunami-facts.html
https://earth-pages.co.uk/2013/12/30/how-the-great-tohoku-earthquake-and-tsunami-happened/
https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRjcj5fkCX-DUelErNK8p1pY_ytoh87z2ARNkO0Uynineop-_iJWw
http://www.japan-guide.com/g7/0018_new_01.jpg
My boy Lost for giving some information on the landscape