Tohoku EQ 2011

Question 1

what were the causes of the EQ?

Answer 1

• Japan is located on the east edge of the Eurasian plate
• the oceanic pacific plate subducts under the Eurasian plate
• destructive plate margin- friction- tension builds and releases

Question 2

what magnitude was the quake?

Answer 2

9.0

Question 3

what were the impacts of the EQ?

Answer 3

• prepared from EQ but not for the tsunami
• tsunami measured at up to 10m in Sendai
• aftershocks continued (one at 7.1)
• radiation released caused large evacuations at Fukishima where generators failed to cool reactors
• 582 roads cut off
• 32 bridges destroyed
• 15,894 deaths
• tsunami travelled inland 10km in Sendai
• tsunami flooded area of approx. 217 square miles
• waves overtopped sea walls

Question 4

what were the immediate responses?

Answer 4

• helicopters used to rescue people
• 100k soldiers mobilised to organise rescue work
• aid from foreign countries
• UK sent 63 search and rescue specialists
• exclusion zone set up around Fukushima nuclear plant
• shut down of all major nuclear plants

Question 5

what were the long term responses?

Answer 5

• coped well with EQ but tsunami defences inadequate
• in 2013 Japan introduced an upgraded tsunami warning system
• japanese govt set up an advisory body called the Reconstruction Design Council to plant a long-term growth in the Tohoku region
• Japan’s integrated risk management is a scaled approach- it has strategies nationally, for communities, locally etc.
• total damage of US 300 billion- most costly natural disaster in history

Question 6

when was the EQ?

Answer 6

11th March 2011