Even in a country used to tremors, Japan’s massive earthquake and associated tsunami warning on new year’s days triggered terror among its inhabitants who had previously experienced many earthquakes. As of the time of writing, there have been over 40 deaths, with several injuries cited by a Cabinet official during a press conference following the 7.6-magnitude tremors.
Hundreds of people, however, spilled out onto the streets of Tokyo following the quake, with crowds gathering in front of televisions in shop windows for information on the quake. commuters on a Tokyo subway line yelled and grabbed other commuters.
Why Japan is prone to earthquakes?
Earthquakes are widespread in Japan, which is one of the world’s seismically active regions. The Pacific “Ring of Fire” a concept developed to allude to the Circum-Pacific Belt–is home to the island nation. Simply described, it is a route through the Pacific Ocean marked by active volcanoes and frequent earthquakes. According to experts, the “Ring of Fire” is where the majority of Earth’s volcanoes and earthquakes occur.
Because of this unique trait, Japan accounts for around 20% of the world’s earthquakes of magnitude 6 or larger on average. In fact, an earthquake strikes the country every 5 minutes. This occasionally resulted in huge tsunamis.
What exactly is a tsunami?
Tsunamis, according to the National Ocean Service, are massive waves triggered by earthquakes or volcanic eruptions beneath the sea. Tsunami waves do not grow drastically in height as they go further into the ocean. However, when the waves travel inland, their heights increase as the depth of the water diminishes.
The speed of tsunami waves is determined by ocean depth rather than distance from the wave’s source. Tsunami waves can travel at the same speed as jet jets across deep ocean, only slowing down when they reach shallow water. While tsunamis are frequently referred to as tidal waves, oceanographers discourage using this term because tides have little to do with these massive waves.
In 2011, a magnitude 9.0 earthquake off Japan’s northeastern coast generated a catastrophic tsunami, killing over 18,000 people
The country has a history of severe earthquakes that have killed thousands of people during the last century. Similar figures suffered serious injuries.
On March 11, 2011, a magnitude 9.0 earthquake off Japan’s northeastern coast generated a catastrophic tsunami, killing over 18,000 people and triggering a nuclear calamity.
Last September, the country commemorated the anniversary of the real-life 1923 Great Kanto Quake, which killed over 100,000 people. According to some media accounts, nearly 1.40 lakh people were killed. The 7.9-magnitude earthquake that rocked the Sagamihara area southwest of Tokyo just before noon on September 1, 1923, created a widespread firestorm in the area, killing the majority of the victims.
The fire burned almost 400,000 Japanese paper-and-wood houses, causing significant social and economic damage to the country as it sought to modernize.
Thousands of ethnic Koreans were slain in the aftermath when police and others responded to false rumors that Koreans were poisoning wells. The administration has never officially acknowledged the rampage.
