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ZJ052303
ZJ052303
Table of Contents
Introduction ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 3
Failure of Hazard Maps based on Uncertainties and Past Event Estimations ----------------- 4
Conclusion-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5
Recommendations ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5
References -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7
3
Introduction
On March 11, 2011, the tsunami struck northeastern Japan on March 11, 2011,
causing widespread destruction. The disaster is sometimes referred to as the 2011 Tohoku
massive earthquake or simply the "Great Tohoku." It was the biggest earthquake to collide
with coastal areas since the late 19th century and one of the world's deadliest earthquakes
since the latest record-keeping initiated in the early start of the twentieth century (Ikehara et
al., 2021). This report aimed to describe the causes and aftermaths of the earthquake and
Tsunami in Japan in 2011. Additionally, the information will underpin shortcomings that
with a magnitude of 9.0 underwater originated in Japan's offshore epicenter, situated around
seventy kilometers east of the Oshika Peninsula Tohoku. Approximately eighty miles east of
Sendai, Miyagi prefecture, at a depth of 18.6 miles below the western Pacific Ocean's seabed,
the epicenter generated a massive tsunami that swept over the area.
Reasons of Earthquake
As two Earth tectonic plates collided in the subduction zone, the magnitude-9.0
Tohoku earthquake hit coastal areas of Japan in 2011. Two plates move under each other in a
plate boundary, where the hotter mantle is located beneath the crust. Intense earthquakes are
caused by the roughness and stickiness of the big plates (Wallis et al., 2017). The Pacific
plate submerges under the dominant Eurasian plate east of Japan. Researchers had discovered
that the earthquake released centuries of friction between the two plate boundaries that had
Japanese citizens are still suffering from earthquakes and tsunamis. According to the
Japan Reconstruction Agency, 39,000 people were still without a house as of November
2021, with 1,000 people still residing in temporary accommodation (Ichinose et al.,
2019). This earthquake has caused an estimated $199 billion in Japan damages, according to
official estimates. According to the rehabilitation agency, 19,747 people have died as of
December 2021. Over 2,500 individuals are still missing, according to reports.
Kamaishi tsunami barrier was built to be the deepest tsunami seawall at about 63 meters. The
use of computer models in tsunami research and engineering was only beginning in its
development. However, even with this barrier in place, the tsunami of 2011 did not spare the
local population. After the 2011 tsunami, it was discovered that concrete seawalls and coastal
barriers lacked strong protection at the dyke toes and formed a weak spot (Alam et al., 2018).
Additionally, the 2011 tsunami catastrophe emphasized the need for hazard maps in
two ways. One option is to notify the public that they are in danger. By having access to
information about their danger, individuals are able that they must leave an at-risk place as
immediately and as safely as possible. On the other side, a hazard map may be used to
reassure those who live outside the projected flood area that their region is not at risk. It is a
during the 2011 disaster in Japan (Koshimura & Shuto, 2015), which may have increased the
death toll.
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When it came to providing tsunami warnings and advisories and calculating tsunami
height, the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) started utilizing a new method in 1999 and
revised it in 2006 using Earthquake Early Warnings (EEWs). Authorities of Japan were
confident that JMA's tsunami monitoring technology was the most efficient and latest
equipment (Alam et al., 2018). After receiving the tsunami warning, some locals felt secure
enough to stay behind a sea barrier. However, the earthquake-induced blackout rendered the
radio and speaker systems inoperable in some areas and ultimately became the cause of
Conclusion
This report concludes with an important lesson from Japan's catastrophe of March 11,
prevent another catastrophe. Even the most impressive seawalls and breakwaters along the
coast cannot guarantee the safety of people and property. On the other hand, Tsunami
warning information may alert the public that they may be at risk, but it cannot ensure their
safety.
Recommendations
This report suggests that seawalls should be planned with overtopping and destruction
so that people are not solely reliant on coastal infrastructure for protection. Huge and well
heighted RC structures with sturdy pillars and barriers can resist flood stream and may be
utilized for vertical evacuation in an emergency. Finally, with the installation of wideband
seismometers and coastal tsunami monitoring equipment, the Japan Meteorological Agency's
tsunami warning improved its capacity for faster and more precise assessment of the
maximum displacement of plates that causes earthquake and tsunami. An essential learning
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point is that people should not rely upon official notification to take action; a severe
References
Alam, M. S., Barbosa, A. R., Scott, M. H., Cox, D. T., & van de Lindt, J. W. (2018).
https://doi.org/10.1061/(asce)st.1943-541x.0001953
Ichinose, T., Itagawa, S., & Yamada, Y. (2019). A Century of Land-use Changes and
Economic Damage in Kesennuma City Caused by the 2011 Tohoku Earthquake and
https://doi.org/10.11492/ceispapersen.2019.1_53
Ikehara, K., Usami, K., Irino, T., Omura, A., Jenkins, R. G., & Ashi, J. (2021).
Characteristics and distribution of the event deposits induced by the 2011 Tohoku-oki
earthquake and tsunami offshore of Sanriku and Sendai, Japan. Sedimentary Geology,
Koshimura, S., & Shuto, N. (2015). Response to the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and
https://doi.org/10.1098/rsta.2014.0373
Wallis, S. R., Fujiwara, O., & Goto, K. (2017). Geological studies in tsunami research since