The 11 March 2011 Tohoku-oki tsunami
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Date
2012-10-16
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Publisher
Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation
Abstract
The 11 March 2011 MW9.0 megathrust earthquake that occurred on the Japan
Trench boundary off the East Coast of Japan, generated a devastating tsunami that
affected not only over 2000 km of Japan’s Pacific Coast, but also other coasts in the
Pacific Ocean. The tsunami reached more than 5 km inland in some areas of the
low-lying Sendai Plain, with a maximum inundation height of 19.5 m. On the Sanriku
coast 50 to 200 km further north, a maximum run-up height of 40.0 m was recorded.
The tsunami resulted in nearly 15,900 dead and 2,900 missing, and caused
extensive damage to houses, buildings and all types of infrastructure, also leading to
the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster.
The size and extent of the 2011 Tohoku-oki tsunami were much larger than expected. This is largely due to the fact that the magnitude of its predecessor, the 869AD Jogan tsunami, was underestimated. An overview of the tsunami impact will be presented, as well as a discussion about lessons learnt from this event for future
hazard preparedness.
Description
Keywords
Tsunamis, Japan, Geologic deposits, Coastal regions, Natural disasters, Reactor accidents, Hazards, Pacific Ocean
Citation
Chagué-Goff, C. (2012). The 11 March 2011 Tohoku-oki tsunami. Paper presented to the 12th South Pacific Environmental Radioactivity Association Conference (SPERA 2012), Sydney, Australia, Tuesday 16 October – Friday 19 October 2012. Lucas Heights, NSW: Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation. (pp. 16).