2011 Tokohu earthquake and tsunami (nuclear disaster)

Question 1

What caused the earthquake?

Answer 1

The Pacific Plate subducting underneath the overriding Okhotsk Plate

Question 2

What is the physical geography of Japan?

Answer 2

• 3/4 mountains
• 60 active volcanoes
• frequent volcanic eruptions and earthquakes

Question 3

Key facts about the disaster?

Answer 3

• Magnitude 9.0 earthquake
• Earthquake struck on March 11th, 2:46pm
• The tsunami made landfall within 30 minutes of the earthquake

Question 4

What happened to the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Plant?

Answer 4

• It’s cooling systems were destroyed
• Meltdowns were triggered at 3 nuclear reactors

Question 5

Key primary impacts

Answer 5

• 15,900 deaths
• 300,000 refugees
• $360bn worth of damage
• most expensive natural disaster in history
• Salination of soil due to the tsunami
• Nuclear contamination

Question 6

Key secondary impacts

Answer 6

• Over 1200 aftershocks
• 7.2 magnitude aftershock on April 7th 2011
• Sharp decline in tourism in Japan
• Marine ecosystems like coral reefs were destroyed due to the debris in the Pacific Ocean

Question 7

Short term responses

Answer 7

• 500,000 people evacuated from the Tokohu region immediately
• Emergency shelters set up in schools
• Unicef and the Red Cross aided with food and clean water

Question 8

Long term responses

Answer 8

• By 2021, most of the infrastructure was rebuilt
• Transport networks like the Sanriku Expressway were rebuilt and expanded
• Japan built 400km of sea walls

Question 9

What was the focus of this earthquake?

Answer 9

32km underwater depth - shallow focus = more destructive