More than 5,000 aftershocks hit Japan in the year after the earthquake, the largest a magnitude 7.9. Image of the Day for March 12, 2011. The most powerful earthquake ever recorded to hit Japan (magnitude 9.1) . With a magnitude of 9.1 making it the most powerful recorded earthquake to ever hit Japan. The earthquake was so strong that it shifted Earth on its axis. Omissions? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Sendai was the nearest major ci… The sounds are real seismic data taken from 8 seismometers on a great circle around the globe, and sped up into the sonic range. Photo Credit: Tōhoku Tourism Promotion Organization. The March 11, 2011, earthquake was the strongest to strike the region since the beginning of record keeping in the late 19th century, and it is considered one of the most powerful earthquakes ever recorded. If the initial estimate is confirmed, it will be the fifth largest earthquake in recorded history. The temblor also shortened the length of a day by about a microsecond. Japan earthquake and tsunami of 2011, also called Great Sendai Earthquake or Great Tōhoku Earthquake, severe natural disaster that occurred in northeastern Japan on March 11, 2011. In addition to Sendai, other communities hard-hit by the tsunami included Kamaishi and Miyako in Iwate; Ishinomaki, Kesennuma, and Shiogama in Miyagi; and Kitaibaraki and Hitachinaka in Ibaraki. It generated waves 11 to 12 feet (3.3 to 3.6 metres) high along the coasts of Kauai and Hawaii in the Hawaiian Islands chain and 5-foot (1.5-metre) waves along the island of Shemya in the Aleutian Islands chain. Ring in the new year with a Britannica Membership. Days before, a 7.2 magnitude earthquake with 6.0 magnitude Impact Summary; Technical Summary; USGS Audio CoreCast Interview with Evelyn Roeloffs - Effect on Water Levels in … The 2010 magnitude-8.8 Chile earthquake shortened the day by about 1.26 µs and shifted earth’s figure axis by about 8 cm. Earthquake and Tsunami near Sendai, Japan. 2011 Tōhoku Earthquake and Tsunami In 2011 Japan experienced an earthquake of the magnitude 9.1 which was the most powerful earthquake to ever hit the nation and the world’s fourth most powerful ever recorded in history. The earthquake was initially reported as 7.9 Mw by the USGS before it was quickly upgraded to 8.8 Mw, then to 8.9 Mw, and then finally to 9.0 Mw. The 9.1 magnitude (Mw) undersea megathrust earthquake occurred on 11 March 2011 at 14:46 JST (05:46 UTC) in the north-western Pacific Ocean at a relatively shallow depth of 32 km (20 mi), with its epicenter approximately 72 km (45 mi) east of the Oshika Peninsula of Tōhoku, Japan, lasting approximately six minutes. Hayes et al. in the world and the largest in Japan since instrumental recordings began in 1900. PDF 73.7 MB ; JPG 5.4 MB ; JPG 28.2 KB ; JPG 57.0 KB ; JPG 203.2 KB ; For More Information. If the initial estimate is confirmed, it will be the fifth largest earthquake in recorded history. Instrument: Seismograph. The earthquake was caused by the rupture of a stretch of the subduction zone associated with the Japan Trench, which separates the Eurasian Plate from the subducting Pacific Plate. (2016) Tectonic summaries of magnitude 7 and greater earthquakes from 2000 to 2015, USGS Open-File Report 2016-1192. Summary Poster. The first two sequences are filtered to emphasize surface waves and the second two filtered to emphasize body waves. It also shortened the day by 6.8 µs. Large stretches of land were left submerged under seawater, particularly in lower-lying areas. This movie shows the seismic wave field in the Earth for two hours after the Tohoku Magnitude 9.0 earthquake on March 11, 2011. Earthquake and Tsunami near Sendai, Japan. At 0.5X animation speed, 1 second of animation = 1 hour in real time. Aftershocks continued, many exceeding magnitude-7.0. It was measured at 8.4 on the JMA seismic intensity scale The earthquake happened 130 kilometres (81 mi) off Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture, on the east coast of the Tōhoku of Japan, on March 11, 2011 at 05:46:23 UTC.It was at a depth of 24.4 km (15.2 miles). Map prepared by the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration depicting the tsunami wave height model for the Pacific Ocean following the March 11, 2011, earthquake off Sendai, Japan. 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