Very often, history shows us how helpless a person is when it comes to natural disasters. Unfortunately, many of the disasters are impossible to predict. This is exactly what happened with the tsunami in Japan, which claimed thousands of lives in 2011.
Land of danger
At the very edge of East Asia there is a small island country. Its territory consists of more than 6, 000 mountain and volcanic islands. All land lies on the Pacific Volcanic Ring of Fire system. It is on this part that a lot of earthquakes occur. Scientists have determined that 10% of the world's cataclysms are associated with this phenomenon, which occurs off the coast of Japan.
Every day, the country suffers from tremors. In general, over the course of a year, this land can carry about 1, 500 hits. Most of them are safe because they range from 4 to 6 points on the Richter scale. Usually, waves do not harm houses and high-rise buildings, while massive and high walls can only sway slightly. Critical marks for this country are from 7 points and above. During the tsunami in Japan in 2011, the magnitude of seismic waves with a magnitude of 9 was recorded.
Pages of history
Now there are about 110 volcanoes in the state. The activities of some of them from time to time lead to tragedies. So, for example, in 1896, an earthquake, whose strength index reached 7.2 points, caused a tsunami. Then the height of the waves was 38 meters. The element claimed 22, 000 lives. However, this was not the worst disaster.
In September 1923, the Great Kanto earthquake occurred, named after the region that suffered the most. Then more than 170, 000 people died.
In 1995, the country suffered again. This time the epicenter was the city of Kobe. Blows then fluctuated within 7.3 points. The catastrophe claimed 6500 lives.
But the worst cataclysm occurred in the state in March 2011. The complexity of the natural disaster was that this time the tremors were accompanied by high waves. The tsunami in Japan has incalculable losses. Tens of thousands of people died, hundreds of thousands were left without houses and apartments.
Natural processes
The cause of the disaster was the collision of two plates - the Pacific and Okhotsk. It is on the second island of the state. During the movement of the layers of the lithosphere, the more massive and heavier ocean part sinks under the mainland. Due to the displacement of these areas, tremors occur, leading to earthquakes. Moreover, their strength is much higher than during a volcanic eruption.
It is impossible to accurately predict this process. Moreover, the country did not expect strikes with a force of 8-8.5 points.
Due to the constant danger in Japan, the best seismologists and geophysicists in the world work. Their laboratories are equipped with modern equipment. And although professionals are not able long before the start of strong shocks to predict the danger, it is in their power to warn the people of trouble.
As early as March 9, 2011, a minor earthquake began. The tsunami at such jolts was impossible. The devices recorded several strokes from 6 to 7 points.
Distress warning
According to experts, a fault in the plates arose 373 km from Tokyo. A minute before the start of the cataclysm on the island, the equipment of seismologists recorded a danger, and data on this was urgently transmitted to all television channels. Thus, many human lives were saved. But the shock waves moved at a speed of 4 km / s, so after an hour and a half, an earthquake hit the country.
There was a push force of 9.0 points. This happened on March 11 at 14:46. After that, repeated strikes went with lower indicators of strength. In total, there were over 400 aftershocks, from 4.5 to 7.4 points, across the country.
The breakdown of underground slabs caused a tsunami in Japan. It should be noted that the waves have spread all over the world. Even coastal countries of the Americas have received warnings.
The work of professionals
After the formation of the first faults of the earth's crust, meteorologists began to inform the people about the danger. The level of anxiety was very serious.
Experts noted that the wave height will reach at least 3 meters. But the wall of water in different coastal cities had different heights. It is worth noting that only in Chile, which is located at a distance of 17, 000 km from Japan, waves raged up to 2 meters high.
The earthquake occurred 70 kilometers from the nearest point of land. Consequently, the areas that were near the epicenter of the event were the first to suffer. It took 10-30 minutes to get to some coastal parts of the country.
The Japanese felt the blows on earth as early as 14:46. And already at 15:12 in the afternoon a wave about 7 meters high reached the city of Kamaisy. Further, the water broke the settlements, depending on their geographical location. The largest tsunami wave was recorded in the Miyako region. There, the height was from 4 to 40 meters. This city was also badly damaged by the cataclysm.
Ruthless water
The element practically did not leave the wounded. Those who did not have time to hide from trouble immediately died in a whirlpool. The wall swept away cars, poles, trees and houses on its way. People who did not get out of the trap and did not reach a safe place were dying among the huge debris.
Due to the tsunami in Japan, about 530 km² of built-up area were destroyed. Piles of debris remained on the ground, where houses, shops and roads used to be. Water washed away everything except the foundations.
According to the latest data, the number of victims is about 16, 000. Another 2, 500 people are still reported missing. Half a million souls were left without shelter. Search work continued for a long time. Immediately formed detachments of volunteers, the mobilization of soldiers took place, and the National Guard began to work. Cases of looting were rare, and brave people detained offenders on their own.
Despite the fact that prospecting continued for a long time, many were not saved. The consequences of the tsunami were terrible.
Loss calculation
Japan's economy has been hit hard by the cataclysm. According to scientists, the last time such a strong blow in financial terms, the country received only during the Second World War. Hundreds of dams were broken. Only after their repair, coastal cities will again be able to rebuild. Some villages were completely washed away with water. It should be noted that the cause of death of 95% of people was not tremors, namely high waves.
Due to powerful earthquakes, many fires occurred in factories. An accident occurred at the Fukushima-1 nuclear power plant, and a significant dose of radiation was released into the atmosphere.
In general, the consequences of the tsunami and earthquake cost the country $ 300 billion. In addition, the largest plants stopped their work.
Other states helped fight the trouble. South Korea was the first to send a squad of rescuers who began a search operation.
After the events of March, seismologists noted that the number of minor earthquakes throughout the Japanese archipelago has increased significantly.
