Facts about Tsunami in Japan 2011

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Natural disasters keep striking every other moment on the face of the earth. An extremely destructive and most fearsome one was the earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan in March, 2011. Here are some striking facts about the earthquake and tsunami in Japan.

Fact 1:

An earthquake of 8.9 magnitude, the highest ever recorded, created a huge tsunami that shattered the entire eastern coast of Japan in the year 2011. This was the worst ever tsunami in the history of the world. (National Geographic)

Fact 2:

This entire destructive blow was called the Great Sendai Earthquake or the Great Tohoku Earthquake. (Britannica)

Fact 3:

Tsunami waves are not tidal waves. These originate as a result of an underwater earthquake. The earthquake in Japan was the result of a rupture in the stretches of the Japan Trenches. (Britannica)

Fact 4:

The entire Pacific Basin suffered destruction from the devastating waves of tsunami due to the deadly earthquake. The waves hit at a speed of 800 km per hour (500 miles per hour). (Britannica)

Fact 5:

Besides causing many lives to be lost, cooling systems in one of the reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station in the Fukushima zone on the east coast of Japan nose-dived after the earthquake, leaving the country in a severe nuclear crisis. (Info Please)

Fact 6:

Tsunami is a Japanese word to describe the ‘œHarbor Waves’. (Info Please)

Fact 7:

There was a long gap since any other tragedy as big as the March, 2011 tsunami  which hit Japan. This earthquake followed by a tsunami hit Japan after a lapse of 1200 years. (Scientific American)

Fact 8:

The redistribution of the earth’s mass that occurred due to this earthquake caused a shortening in the length of a regular day by 1.8 microseconds. (Scientific Americans)

Fact 9:

The maximum height of the tsunami wave estimated was approximately 132 feet, which is scarily high!! (Telegraph)

Fact 10:

Almost 200,000 residents had to be evacuated from the tsunami hit and affected areas. (Natural Hazards)

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