Seismicity: 2010 Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami Japan (HIC)

Question 1

Introduction

Answer 1

-On Friday, March 11, 2011, the Japanese Eastern seaboard was hit by a 6-minute, 9.0 magnitude (Richter scale) earthquake, with an epicentre 70km to the east.
-Whilst the direct impacts of the shaking were significant, most casualties were due to the secondary Tsunami, with an upthrust of 6-8m and a 50ft wave.
-It is the most powerful earthquake in Japan, with over 1000 aftershocks measured, and the 4th most powerful in the world, partly contributing to the level 7 meltdowns of 3 reactors at the Fukushima Nuclear Power plant.

Question 2

Inability for mitigation due to severity of event (evaluative point)

Answer 2

-Despite Japan being a well-developed country, with an HDI over 0.9, and well-regarded earthquake proofing, the location of the event at sea and the subsequent 50ft wave destroyed any preventative infrastructure that there was and there was little that could be done to mitigate the impacts of this event.

Question 3

How many deaths were there

Answer 3

16,000 dead, 6,000 injured, 2,500 injured

Question 4

Economic impacts

Answer 4

$235bn damage due to disaster.
All Japanese ports and most airports were closed across Japan except for emergency movements.

Question 5

Short term responses

Answer 5

-Japan Meteorological agency (JMA) advanced tsunami warning 3 minutes after the earthquake.
-Emergency contingency planning enacted: The Prime Minister set up an emergency command centre and 100,000 members of the self defence force to the disaster zone.
-163 countries and 43 organisations offered assistance- $4.3bn in aid raised- NGOs such as red cross raised millions

Question 6

Primary vs secondary impacts

Answer 6

-After the Tohoku earthquake, it wasn’t the primary impacts that killed people and caused devastation, it was the secondary tsunami which was the big killer- causing almost 20,000 deaths and huge devastation wide widespread impacts across the East Coast of Japan.