The 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami which occurred in Japan is an environmental disaster which led to the death of 18,000 people and caused over 6,150 injuries. Due to Japan’s location and physical geography, which places it along the Pacific “Ring of Fire”, this hence makes Japan highly liable to tsunamis and earthquakes. In addition to that, Japan’s weather which frequently consists of typhoons and rainy season cloudbursts adds to the likelihood of an environmental disaster to occur. As well as that, due to the fact that over 50% of Japanese citizens live on the low-lying land near the coast which has a volcanic soil which is soft, this causes the citizens of Japan to be exposed to tsunamis and liable to extreme shocks as a result of earthquakes. …show more content…
To be more specific, the Tōhoku earthquake transpired when the Pacific plate jabbed below the North American plate which includes Northern Japan. Usually, the Japan Trench moves towards the west for 3.25 inches per year. After the thrust fell, the Pacific plate violently moved and compressed under the North American plate, which forced it up. The tsunami was caused as the plate moved and released a vast chunk of energy which hence distributed a large bulk of ocean water. After that, energy radiated from the epicentre, and because of the long wavelengths and low heights of the deep oceans, the waves were able to travel for an excess of 500 miles per hour. After that, as the tsunami gets closer to the land, there is an increase in the height of the waves as a result of the shallow water. Due to the fact that there is a lot of energy and water, the waves hence are pushed inland. This caused the tsunami and the waves to be so high (as high as 20 feet along the coast of Japan) that the warnings for a tsunami were sent as far as South America and the United States’ west