Sunday, March 11, 2012

Tsunami Japan

Tsunami Japan


One of the strongest earthquakes ever recorded hit Japan Friday, unleashing a 10-metre high tsunami that tossed ships inland and sparked fears that destructive waves could hit across the Pacific Ocean.
The devastating 8.9-magnitude quake left many people injured in coastal areas of the main Honshu island and Tokyo, police said, while TV footage showed widespread flooding in the area.


A monster 10-metre (33 feet) wall of water was reported in Sendai city in northeastern Miyagi prefecture, media said after a four-metre wave hit the coast earlier. The government said the quake had caused "tremendous damage".

Helicopter footage showed massive inundation in northern coastal towns, where floods of black water sent shipping containers, cars and debris crashing through streets. An oil refinery was ablaze near Tokyo.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre issued a widespread warning for territories as far away as South America, New Zealand and Hawaii, where evacuations were ordered.




Japan Tsunami

Japan Tsunami

Black smoke rises from a burning building in Tokyo's Odaiba area in Tokyo Bay area after Japan was struck by a magnitude-8.9 earthquake off its northeastern coast Friday, March 11, 2011.





Huge tsunami slams Japan after quake

The biggest earthquake to hit Japan in 140 years struck the northeast coast on Friday, triggering a 10-metre tsunami that swept away everything in its path, including houses, cars and farm buildings on fire.



Japan Tsunami

Japan Tsunami

In this image made off Japan's NHK TV video footage, vehicles are washed away by tsunami in coastal area in eastern Japan after Japan was struck by a magnitude 8.9 earthquake off its northeastern coast Friday, March 11, 2011.





At least six people were killed, five in Fukushima prefecture north of the capital, Tokyo, where four million homes were without power, and one in eastern Tochigi prefecture, media said. A hotel collapsed in the city of Sendai and people were feared buried in the rubble.

The 8.9 magnitude quake caused many injuries, public broadcaster NHK said, sparked fires and the wall of water, prompting warnings to people to move to higher ground in coastal areas.

The Philippines, Taiwan and Indonesia all issued tsunami alerts, reviving memories of the giant tsunami which struck Asia in 2004. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre issued alerts for countries to the west and across the Pacific as far away as Colombia and Peru.

There were several strong aftershocks. In Tokyo, buildings shook violently. An oil refinery near the city was on fire, with dozens of storage tanks under threat.



Japan Earthquake

Japan Earthquake

Black smoke rises from a burning building in Tokyo after Japan was struck by a magnitude-8.9 earthquake off its northeastern coast Friday, March 11, 2011.






"I was terrified and I'm still frightened," said Hidekatsu Hata, 36, manager of a Chinese noodle restaurant in Tokyo's Akasaka area. "I've never experienced such a big quake before."

Stunning TV footage showed the tsunami carrying the debris and fires across a large swathe of coastal farmland near the city of Sendai, which has a population of one million. The pictures suggested the death toll was going to rise.

Sendai is 300 km (180 miles) northeast of Tokyo and the epicentre at sea was not far away.

NHK showed flames and black smoke billowing from a building in Odaiba, a Tokyo suburb, and bullet trains to the north of the country were halted.

Thick smoke was also pouring out of an industrial area in Yokohama's Isogo area. TV footage showed boats, cars and trucks floating in water after a small tsunami hit the town of Kamaichi in northern Japan. An overpass, location unknown, appeared to have collapsed into the water.

Kyodo news agency said there were reports of fires in Sendai where waves carried cars across the runway at the airport.

The western prefecture of Wakayama ordered 20,000 people to evacuate after further tsunami warnings.



Japan Tsunami

Japan Tsunami

In this image made off Japan's NHK TV video footage, houses are washed away by tsunami in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture (state) eastern Japan, after Japan was struck by a magnitude 8.9 earthquake off its northeastern coast Friday, March 11, 2011.



Japan Quake

Japan Quake




Ambulances gather outside the Kudan Kaikan hall where the ceiling of a school collapsed in the massive 8.9-magnitude earthquake in Tokyo on March 11, 2011. The The huge earthquake shook Japan, unleashing a powerful tsunami that sent ships crashing into the shore and carried cars through the streets of coastal towns.




Japan Earthquake and Tsunami

The area is flooded by tsunami in Iwaki, Fukushima Prefecture (state) as Japan was struck by a magnitude-8.9 earthquake off its northeastern coast Friday, March 11, 2011.


Sendai Earthquake

Broken China wares are scattered on the floor at a porcelain shop following a massive 8.9-magnitude earthquake in Tokyo on March 11, 2011. The huge earthquake shook Japan, unleashing a powerful tsunami that sent ships crashing into the shore and carried cars through the streets of coastal towns.




Earthquake 2011

Vehicles are crushed by a collapsed wall at a carpark in Mito city in Ibaraki prefecture after a massive earthquake rocked Japan. A massive 8.9-magnitude earthquake has rocked Japan, unleashing a monster 10-metre high tsunami that sent ships crashing into the shore and carried cars through the streets of coastal towns.




Earthquake Japan



Japan Earthquake 2011


Japan Earthquake 2011 Pictures


Japan ablaze after quake; no radiation leaks

The Cosmo oil refinery in Chiba prefecture outside Tokyo has exploded, sending flames dozens of metres into the air with firefighters unable to contain the inferno.

There are reports of more than 40 major fires across Japan following the 8.9-magnitude offshore quake.

Five nuclear power plants and several oil refineries shut down automatically after the quake.

Officials say no radiation leaks have been reported.

Hokuriku Electric Co said all three reactors at its Onagawa nuclear plant in northern Japan were shut down, while JX Nippon Oil and Energy Corp, Japan's top refiner, halted operations at three refineries in Sendai, Kashima and Negishi.

Electric Power Development also halted operations of its Isogo thermal power plant in Yokohama, and electronics giant Sony Corp, one of the country's biggest exporters, shut six factories.

The Miyagi prefecture and surrounding areas include major manufacturing and industrial zones, with many chemical, petrochemical and electronics plants.

Television showed black smoke pouring out of an industrial area in Yokohama's Isogo area.

A fire was also reported at JFE Holdings Incorporated's steel plant in Chiba. JFE is the world's fifth-largest steelmaker.

Two people were reported killed by a collapsing ceiling at a Honda factory in Tochigi prefecture but no other details were immediately available.

Several airports, including Tokyo's Narita, were closed and rail services were halted.

The car park at Tokyo Disneyland was drenched with water-logged segments from the ground following the quake.

It was earlier reported that a tsunami might have caused the inundation but police said the phenomenon was due to liquefaction of soil caused by the intense shaking of the tremor.

There were 69,000 people at Disneyland and the adjacent Tokyo Disney Sea, but there were no injuries or property damage reported.

- AFP/Reuters



Japan Earthquake Pictures




Tsunami Japan

Earthquakes are common in Japan, one of the world's most seismically active areas. The country accounts for about 20 percent of the world's earthquakes of magnitude 6 or greater.



Tokyo Earthquake 2011


The USGS said the quake struck at 5:31 a.m. on Saturday (2031 GMT on Friday) 52 miles (84 km) east of the city of Naha, about 1,600 km (1,000 miles) south of Tokyo.


Japan Tsunami 2011

Friday, March 11, 2011

Tsunami Japan Photos

Oil refinery on fire in Japan

Japan Tsunami

Tsunami Japan Photos

The most powerful earthquake to hit Japan in recorded history struck off the island nation's shore on Friday, collapsing buildings, touching off widespread fires and unleashing walls of water up to 30 feet high.

Japan Earthquake Pictures

Tsunami Japan Photos

Tsunami Formation

Tsunami Japan Photos

Friday's quake is the strongest earthquake in recorded history to hit Japan, according to U.S. Geologic Survey records. The previous record was an 8.6 magnitude earthquake that struck near the Chubu Region near southwestern Honshu on October 28, 1707, that may have killed 5,000 people.

Tsunami Japan Photos

Tsunami Japan Photos

Tsunami Japan Photos

Tsunami Japan Photos

A Tsunami is a series of sea waves commonly generated by under-the-sea earthquakes and whose heights could be greater than 5 meters. 

It is erroneously called a tidal wave and sometimes mistakenly associated with storm surges. 

Tsunamis can occur when the earthquake is shallow-seated and strong enough to displace parts of the seabed and disturb the mass of water over it.

Natural signs of an approaching tsunami:

1. A felt earthquake;
2. Unusual sea level change: Sudden sea water retreat or rise;
3. Rumbling sound of approaching waves.


Tsunami Japan Photos

Tsunami Japan Photos

Tsunami Japan Pictures

Tsunami demolishes Japan's north coast

Japan Earthquake

Tsunami Japan Pictures

A ferocious tsunami spawned by one of the largest earthquakes ever recorded slammed Japan's eastern coast today, killing hundreds of people as it swept away boats, cars and homes while widespread fires burned out of control.


Tsunami Japan Pictures

Tsunami Japan Pictures

In Sendai, a city of 1m closest to the undersea quake’s epicentre, power remained cut off late on Friday night. The pitch dark was broken only by fires at a burning oil refinery. Video from a military helicopter showed much of Kesennuma, a community of 70,000 north of Sendai, engulfed in flames. Local police were reported to have found the bodies of hundreds of people drowned by the tsunami.

Tsunami Japan Pictures

Tsunami Japan Pictures

Tsunami Japan Pictures

Tsunami Japan Pictures

Tsunami Japan Pictures

Tsunami Japan Pictures

The wall of water that washed over coastal towns, carrying whole communities with it, left at least 1,000 dead, according to Japanese media reports. The 8.9-magnitude quake that triggered it also forced the evacuation of thousands around a nuclear power plant north of Tokyo.

Japan Tsunami Death Toll


Japan Tsunami Death Toll

Japan Tsunami Death Toll

Japan Tsunami Death Toll

Japanese broadcasters reported collapsed buildings, power outages and transportation disruptions throughout Japan. In Tokyo, 230 miles from the hardest hit areas, rail service was suspended, elevated highways were shut down early Saturday and surface streets remained jammed as commuters continued trying to get to their homes in outlying areas.

Japan Tsunami Death Toll

Japan Tsunami Death Toll

A ferocious tsunami unleashed by Japan's biggest recorded earthquake slammed into its eastern coast Friday, killing hundreds of people as it carried away ships, cars and homes, and triggered widespread fires that burned out of control. 

Japan Tsunami Death Toll

Japan Tsunami Death Toll

Japan Tsunami Death Toll

Japan Tsunami Death Toll

NHK said more than 4 million buildings were without power in Tokyo and its suburbs.



Japan Tsunami Death Toll

Japan Tsunami Death Toll

In various locations along Japan’s coast, TV footage showed massive damage from the tsunami, with dozens of cars, boats and even buildings being carried along by waters. A large ship swept away by the tsunami rammed directly into a breakwater in Kesennuma city in Miyagi prefecture, according to footage on public broadcaster NHK.

Tsunami 2011 Pictures


Massive deadly quake hits Japan, spawns tsunamis

Japan Earthquake and Tsunami

Tsunami 2011 Pictures

Japan Tsunami 2011

Tsunami 2011 Pictures

A tsunami warning was extended across the Pacific to North and South America, where many other coastal regions were evacuated, but the alert has since been lifted in most parts, including the Philippines, Australia and China.
Strong waves hit Japan's Miyagi and Fukushima prefectures, damaging dozens of coastal communities.
A 10m wave struck Sendai, deluging farmland and sweeping cars across the airport's runway. Fires broke out in the centre of the city.


Tsunami 2011 Pictures

Tsunami 2011 Pictures

The epicenter was offshore of Miyagi Prefecture, about 230 miles (370 kilometers) from Tokyo, the U.S. Geological Survey said.

Tsunami 2011 Pictures

Tsunami 2011 Pictures

Residents there continued to feel aftershocks hours after the quake. More than 30 aftershocks followed, with the strongest measuring 7.1.

Tsunami 2011 Pictures

Tsunami 2011 Pictures

A massive earthquake has hit the north-east of Japan, triggering a tsunami that has caused extensive damage.

Japanese television showed cars, ships and even buildings being swept away by a vast wall of water after the 8.9-magnitude earthquake.


Tsunami 2011 Pictures

Tsunami 2011 Pictures

Tsunami Of 2011


Massive wave flattens buildings in Japan

Sendai Earthquake

Sendai Earthquake

The tsunami roared over embankments, washing anything in its path inland before reversing directions and carrying the cars, homes and other debris out to sea. Flames shot from some of the houses, probably because of burst gas pipes.

Waves of muddy waters flowed over farmland near Sendai, carrying buildings, some on fire, inland as cars attempted to drive away. Sendai airport was inundated with cars, trucks, buses and thick mud deposited over its runways.

The highways to the worst-hit coastal areas were buckled and communications, including telephone lines, were snapped. Train services in northeastern Japan and in Tokyo, which normally serve 10 million people a day, were also suspended, leaving untold numbers stranded in stations or roaming the streets. Tokyo's Narita airport was closed indefinitely.


Tsunami Of 2011

Tsunami Of 2011

Tsunami Of 2011

Tsunami Of 2011

The tsunami rolled across the Pacific at 800km/h (500mph) - as fast as a jetliner - before hitting Hawaii and the US West Coast.
Thousands of people were ordered to evacuate coastal areas in the states of California, Oregon and Washington, but there were no reports of major damage.
The biggest waves of more than 6-7ft (about 2m) were recorded near California's Crescent City, said the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre.


Tsunami Of 2011

Tsunami Of 2011

Tsunami Of 2011

Tsunami Of 2011

Japan Tsunami Photos


Quake rocks Japan 

Japan Tsunami Photos

Japan Tsunami Photos

The 8.9-magnitude quake prompted the U.S. National Weather Service to issue tsunami warnings for at least 50 countries and territories, although initial reports as the waves reached locations outside of Japan indicated no damage.

But Japanese government officials said large tsunami waves are still a risk to coastal Japan, and urged residents in coastal areas to move to higher ground.


Japan Tsunami Photos

Japan Tsunami Photos

The quake struck at a depth of six miles (10 kilometers), about 80 miles (125 kilometers) off the eastern coast, the agency said. The area is 240 miles (380 kilometers) northeast of Tokyo. Several quakes hit the same region in recent days, including one measured at magnitude 7.3 on Wednesday that caused no damage.

Japan Tsunami Photos

Japan Tsunami Photos

Japan Tsunami Photos

Japan Tsunami Photos

Japan Tsunami Photos

Japan Tsunami Photos

The quake was the fifth-largest in the world since 1900 and nearly 8,000 times stronger than the one which devastated Christchurch, New Zealand, last month, said scientists.
Measured at 8.9 by the US Geological Survey, it struck at 1446 local time (0546 GMT) at a depth of about 24km.


Japan Tsunami Photos

Japan Tsunami Photos