4/13/2015

TheScienceBehindJapan'sDeadlyEarthquake|HonshuEarthquake|DeadlyEarthquakes&NaturalDisasters|LiveScience

TECH
HEALTH
PLANETEARTH
SPACE
STRANGENEWS
ANIMALS
HISTORY
HUMANNATURE
SHOP
searchLiveScience

TECH
HEALTH
PLANETEARTH
SPACE
STRANGENEWS
ANIMALS
HISTORY
HUMANNATURE
SHOP
TRENDING:CES2015//EbolaOutbreak//Military&SpyTech//3DPrinting//OurAmazingPlanet//Best
FitnessTrackers//HumanOrigins

TheScienceBehindJapan'sDeadlyEarthquake
byBrettIsrael|March11,201109:44amET

http://www.livescience.com/13177japandeadlyearthquaketsunami.html

1/7

4/13/2015

TheScienceBehindJapan'sDeadlyEarthquake|HonshuEarthquake|DeadlyEarthquakes&NaturalDisasters|LiveScience

Submit

Reddit

Thefifthlargest
earthquakeever
recordedhitJapan
today(March11),
sendinghugetsunami
wavescrashingonshore
andreportedlykillingat
least300people.

TheepicenteroftheMarch11earthquakeoccurredneartheeastcoastofHonshu,Japan.
Credit:USGS Viewfullsizeimage

The8.9magnitude
earthquakestruckat
2:46p.m.localtime
(12:46a.m.EST),near
Honshu,Japan,an
islandthatishometo
about100million
people.Thetemblor
wasthefifthinthepast
twodaystohitthe
region,andmajor
aftershockscanbe
expectedformonths,
possiblyevenayear.
Despitethemassive
foreshocks,therewas
nowaytopredictthat
Japan'sbiggest
recordedearthquake
waslooming,saidPaul
Caruso,ageophysicist
withtheU.S.
GeologicalSurvey

(USGS)inGolden,Colo.
"Wehavebigquakesthereallthetime,"CarusotoldOurAmazingPlanet.Forallscientistsknewatthetime,
the6.3magnitudequakethatstruckyesterdaywasthemainshock,Carusosaid."Noteverybigearthquake
hasaforeshockbuttheyallhaveaftershocks."[ContinuedcoverageoftheJapandisaster]
Aftershockalert
Theruleofthumbforseismologistsisthatanearthquake'slargestaftershockwillbeonemagnitudesmaller
thanthemainshock,Carusosaid.Thatmeansa7.9magnitudeearthquakecouldhittheregionevenayear
fromnow.YetaftershocksarealreadyhittingnorthernJapannow35largerthanmagnitude5.0and14
largerthanmagnitude6accordingtotheUGSS.
http://www.livescience.com/13177japandeadlyearthquaketsunami.html

2/7

4/13/2015

TheScienceBehindJapan'sDeadlyEarthquake|HonshuEarthquake|DeadlyEarthquakes&NaturalDisasters|LiveScience

Bigaftershocksarenotunusual.InFebruary,a6.6magnitudeaftershockrupturednearMaule,Chile
almostayearafterwhatisnowthesixthlargestearthquakeinrecordedhistory,amagnitude8.8,hitinthe
sameregion.
TheJapaneseearthquakerupturedneartheboundarybetweenthePacificandNorthAmericantectonicplates
huge,movingslabsoftheEarth'scrust.Thequakewasamegathrustearthquake,wherethePacificplate
doveunderneathJapanattheJapanTrench.TheseafloorwaspushedawayfromJapansendingwavesroaring
towardHawaiiandtheWestCoastoftheUnitedStates.
"Thetsunamiwavespeedindeepwater,openocean,isaboutthesameasacommercialjet'sgroundspeed,"
saidKenHudnut,aUSGSgeologistinPasadena,Calif.
Theepicenteroftoday'squakewasabout15.2miles(24.4kilometers)deep,accordingtotheUSGS,whichis
nearenoughtothesurfacetosetoffatsunami.
"Generallywedon'tgetatsunamiunlesswehaveashallowquake,andthat'sexactlywhathappened,"Caruso
said.
Foreshocks,notforewarning
Today'searthquakewasprecededbyaseriesoflargeforeshocksovertheprevioustwodays,beginningon
March9withamagnitude7.2quakeabout25miles(40km)away,andcontinuingwiththreeother
earthquakesgreaterthanmagnitude6,accordingtotheUSGS.
Japan'slatestnationalseismicriskmapgavea99percentchanceofatleastamagnitude7.5quakehitingthe
regioninthenext30years,RobertGeller,UniversityofTokyogeophysicist,toldScienceMagazine,but
today'squakewasmorethan100timespowerful.
Earthquakesintheregionarecommon,becauseJapanliesalongthevolatilePacificRingofFireanarrow
zonearoundthePacificOceanwherealargechunkofEarth'searthquakesandvolcaniceruptionsoccur.
Roughly90percentofalltheworld'searthquakes,and80percentofthelargestones,strikealongtheRingof
Fire.
TheJapanTrenchhasseennineeventsofmagnitude7orgreatersince1973.Thelargestofthesewasa
magnitude7.8earthquakeinDecember1994,whichcaused3fatalitiesandalmost700injuries,
approximately160miles(260km)tothenorthoftoday'squake.InJuneof1978,amagnitude7.7earthquake
about22miles(35km)tothesouthwestcaused22fatalitiesandover400injuries.
Theepicenteroftheearthquakewas231miles(373kilometers)northeastofTokyoand80miles(130km)
eastofSendai,Honshu,accordingtotheUSGS.
BrettIsraelisastaffwriterforOurAmazingPlanet,asistersitetoLiveScience.EmailBrettat
bisrael@techmedianetwork.com.FollowhimonTwitter@btisrael.

Editor'sRecommendations
NaturalDisasters:Top10U.S.Threats
WhyDoSomeEarthquakesCauseTsunamisButOthersDon't?
EarthquakesandTsunamis:HowTheyWork
MorefromLiveScience
http://www.livescience.com/13177japandeadlyearthquaketsunami.html

3/7

4/13/2015

TheScienceBehindJapan'sDeadlyEarthquake|HonshuEarthquake|DeadlyEarthquakes&NaturalDisasters|LiveScience

Earthquake!YourSmartphoneCouldGiveanEarlyWarning

SickofAlltheSnow?Blame'TheBlob'

200YearsAfterTambora,IndonesiaMostatRiskofDeadlyVolcanicBlast

10MostHazardousCountriesForVolcanoes(Photos)

MostInterestingScienceNewsArticlesoftheWeek

Wow!TheMostAmazingImagesinScienceThisWeek

HeadsUp!AmazonWinsApprovaltoTestDeliveryDronesinUS

http://www.livescience.com/13177japandeadlyearthquaketsunami.html

4/7

4/13/2015

TheScienceBehindJapan'sDeadlyEarthquake|HonshuEarthquake|DeadlyEarthquakes&NaturalDisasters|LiveScience

LandBridgeLinkingAmericasRoseEarlierThanThought
AuthorBio

BrettIsrael
BrettIsraelwasastaffwriterforLiveSciencewithafocusonenvironmentalissues.Heholdsabachelors
degreeinbiochemistryandmolecularbiologyfromTheUniversityofGeorgia,amastersdegreein
journalismfromNewYorkUniversity,andhasstudieddoctoratelevelbiochemistryatEmoryUniversity.
BrettIsraelon

Addacomment...

ScienceNewsletter:
Subscribe
Commentusing...

Facebooksocialplugin

enteremailhere...

FollowUs

MostPopular
JapanEarthquake&Tsunami
of2011:Factsand
Information

InPictures:JapanEarthquake
&Tsunami

http://www.livescience.com/13177japandeadlyearthquaketsunami.html

5/7

4/13/2015

TheScienceBehindJapan'sDeadlyEarthquake|HonshuEarthquake|DeadlyEarthquakes&NaturalDisasters|LiveScience

HowJapan's2011
EarthquakeHappened
(Infographic)
OneYearLater:Lessons
LearnedfromDeadlyJapan
Earthquake

Japan'sTsunami:HowIt
Happened

WhyYouCan'tSeetheMilkyWayintheSpringNightSky
The'CatMantra':HowAstronomersHandleanUngraspableUniverse(Podcast)
NASAAstronautIsPhotographingEveryBaseballStadiumfromSpace

MysteriousDesertFairyCirclesSharePatternwithSkinCells
Earthquake!YourSmartphoneCouldGiveanEarlyWarning
OldestNeanderthalDNAFoundinItalianSkeleton

AsusUnveils$249ChromebookFlipwithTouchScreen
NewChromebookPixel2SportsUSBTypeC
TryOutAmazonAppstore,Win$25,000

KevinFeigeConfirmsRebootedMarvelSPIDERMANWillBeHighSchoolPETERPARKER
CONVERGENCE:GLCPlaysWithIdeaofHAL,GUY&JOHNAs'Id,Ego&SuperEgo'
TALONRearsHisHeadInNewBATMANVS.ROBINClip

DoYourEmployeesSecretlyDislikeYou?WhattoDoAboutIt
5SignsYouNeedNewTech(andHowtoPicktheRightTools)
DropboxTeamswithMicrosofttoHelpYouBeMoreProductive
COMPANYCompanyInfoAbouttheSiteContactUsAdvertisewithUsUsingourContentLicensing&
ReprintsPrivacyPolicySitemap
NETWORKTopTenREVIEWSTomsGuideLAPTOPTomsHardwareBusinessNewsDailyTomsITPro
SPACE.comLiveScience
FOLLOWUS

http://www.livescience.com/13177japandeadlyearthquaketsunami.html

6/7

4/13/2015

TheScienceBehindJapan'sDeadlyEarthquake|HonshuEarthquake|DeadlyEarthquakes&NaturalDisasters|LiveScience

SUBSCRIBE
enteremailhere...

Copyright2015AllRightsReserved.

http://www.livescience.com/13177japandeadlyearthquaketsunami.html

7/7