great tohoku earthquake

• Earthquake


  11th March 2011
• Earthquake


  • Magnitude: 9.1
  • Pacific plate is subducting under Eurasian plate
  • Destructive plate margin moving at 8-9cm a year
  • Pressure bending Eurasian plate down
  • Eventually broke 15 miles under the surface
  • Shockwaves made ground shake for 5 minutes
  • Lifted sea floor up to 7m 80 miles off the coast of Sendai
• Plate movement


  Caused large tsunami
• Tsunami caused by earthquake lifted sea floor up to 7m 80 miles off the coast of Sendai
• Japan spent billions building 12m anti-tsunami defences, but they were ineffective as the tsunami washed over them
• The flood waters moved six miles inland and destroyed houses, factories, roads, and other buildings
• 4.4 million people in SE Japan left without electricity, power blackouts lasted 3 months