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A12 THE BULLETIN • MONDAY, MARCH 8, 2021 Waves of the tsunami hit residences in Miyagi prefecture, Japan. As soon as the alert was sounded, residents moved to higher ground. Because the tsunami was larger than expected, however, some found themselves still affected. In many places in the Japanese islands, waves were 30 feet or more high and struck within an hour of the earthquake. However, in Miyako – in Iwate prefecture – the water reached as high as 133 feet. ASSOCIATED PRESS EARTHQUAKE By Charles Apple | THE SPOKESMAN-REVIEW Ten years ago, a 9.1-magnitude earthquake – and the titanic tsunami it generated – struck Japan. Japan is still struggling with the aftermath. The earthquake struck at 2:46 p.m. local time on March 11, 2011. Within moments, the entire island of Honshu — the main Japanese island – shifted eight feet to the east. The Earth shifted as much as four to 10 inches on its axis. Enough energy was released to power Los Angeles for an entire year. It was the fourth largest earthquake since modern record-keeping began in 1900. Homes sank as the ground below them liquified. More devastating than the earthquake itself was a tsunami created by the sudden release of so much energy. A wall of water spread out from the epicenter of the quake, which was off the coast of the island. Entire towns were swallowed whole. Even the West Coast of the U.S. saw waves up to 8 feet high. Japan had prepared for earthquakes 15,899 332,395 228,863 $360B a 6.2-mile radius were evacuated. The next day, a series of nuclear meltdowns began in three of the plant’s four reactors. The resulting emergency ranks as the second-largest nuclear disaster ever. and tsunamis but the country simply wasn’t ready for something of this enormity. The flooding knocked equipment at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Plant offline. Residents within Recovery from the earthquake and its aftermath has been slow. As of last year, abour 48,000 evacuees were still waiting for new permanent housing. The Tokyo Electric Power Company says it’ll take another 30 or 40 years before its damaged nuclear plants can be fully decommissioned. Debris continues to wash up along shores around the Pacific Ocean. Scientists monitor the area around Fukushima for continued radiation of seawater and ocean life. ASSOCIATED PRESS On Feb. 14 of this year, a 7.1-magnitude earthquake struck the same region. It was an aftershock of the quake 10 years ago, geologists said. Smoke rises from Unit 3 at Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Plant 10 days after the earthquake. Major earthquakes by year World’s largest earthquakes Earthquakes per year greater than magnitude 7.0, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The 20 largest earthquakes since 1900 ranked by magnitude, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. All 20 occurred in a ring around the Pacific Ocean basin — an area geologists call “the Ring of Fire.” Magnitude 7-7.9 Magnitude 8+ People killed Buildings destroyed People displaced Damage done (in U.S. dollars) 1990 1991 1992 2 8 1993 17 1994 5 16 12 13 1995 1996 9 4 20 1997 1998 1999 3 10 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 7 11 2000 18 14 19 Magnitude 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 Sources: U.S. Geological Survey, the Associated Press, the London Guardian, CNN, WorldVision.org 9.5 May 22, 1960 Bio-Bio, Chile 9.2 March 28, 1964 Southern Alaska 9.1 Dec. 26, 2004 Off the west coast of northern Sumatra, Indonesia 9.1 March 11, 2011 Near the east coast of Honshu, Japan 9.0 Nov. 4, 1952 Off the east coast of the Kamchatka peninsula, Russia 8.8 Feb. 27, 2010 Offshore Bio-Bio, Chile 8.8 Jan. 31, 1906 Near the coast of Ecuador 8.7 Feb. 4, 1965 Rat Islands, Aleutian Islands, Alaska 8.6 Aug. 15, 1950 Eastern Xizang-India border region 8.6 April 11, 2012 Off the west coast of northern Sumatra, Indonesia 8.6 March 28, 2005 Northern Sumatra, Indonesia 8.6 March 9, 1957 Aleutian Islands, Alaska 8.6 April 1, 1946 South of Alaska 8.5 Feb. 1, 1938 Banda Sea 8.5 Nov. 11, 1922 Atcama, Chile 8.5 Oct. 13, 1963 Kuril Islands 8.4 Feb. 3, 1923 Near the east coast of Kamchatka peninsula, Russia 8.4 Sept. 12, 2007 Southern Sumatra, Indonesia 8.4 June 23, 2001 Near the coast of southern Peru 8.4 March 2, 1933 Off the east coast of Honshu, Japan 15 6 1
