Seismic wave from 2011 Tohoku earthquake shifted Japan's landmass 5 millimeters eastward
By
James Woodford
Summary
The article describes an unusual tectonic phenomenon that occurred 15 minutes after the 2011 magnitude-9 Tohoku earthquake: an immensely powerful seismic wave traveled 5,800 kilometers to the Earth's core, bounced back, and caused almost the entire landmass of Japan to shift 5 millimeters eastward. This subtle but continent-wide movement is contextualized against the devastating local impacts of the earthquake, including multi-meter land displacements, 40-meter tsunami waves, and the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear meltdown.
Source
Twitter / XSeismic wave from 2011 Tohoku earthquake shifted Japan's landmass 5 millimeters eastwardnewscientist.comKey quotes
· 3 pulledAround 15 minutes after the magnitude-9 Tohoku earthquake on 11 March 2011, almost the whole of Japan jumped half a centimetre to the east.
This lurch resulted from an immensely powerful seismic wave that travelled 5800 kilometres to the planet's core and then bounced back towards the surface.
In the context of the devastation caused by the earthquake, including localised land movements of many metres and 40-metre tsunami waves that led to the meltdown of three reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, 5 millimetres may se
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