Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
(b)
Figure 13.30 The 2011 Tohoku earthquake and associated
tsunami.
(a) The earthquake occurred off the northeast coast
of Honshu (star) and measured 9.0 on the Richter scale. (b) A
tsunami was produced by the earthquake that surged into coastal
communities.
donesian tsunami in 2004, no warning system existed in the
Indian Ocean basin. As a result, people living in coastal com-
munities were unaware of impending disaster as the tsunami
approached. Ironically, the first hint of trouble came in the
brief moments before tragedy when the ocean was drawn rap-
idly away from the coast, as much as 2.5 km (1.6 mi) in some
places, as water was pulled from the shore into the rapidly ap-
proaching wave. Video shows that many people were excited
by this sudden exposure of the ocean bottom and even ran onto
it to collect stranded fish. Unfortunately, they were unaware
that the sudden retreat of water and beach expansion meant
that a horrific wave was about to engulf them. Because no
warning was given, more than 200,000 people perished, with
over 160,000 fatalities in Indonesia alone. Another 35,000
people were killed in Sri Lanka.
(a)
the two atomic bombs). If the power of the Japanese earth-
quake and tsunami could be harnessed, it is estimated that it
would have been sufficient to power the metropolitan Los An-
geles region for
a year
. The devastation in both events was so
extensive and widespread that it can be clearly seen in satellite
imagery showing the landscape before and after the tsunamis
(Figure 13.32).
The Indonesian and Japanese tsunamis offer an excellent
opportunity to compare the state of earthquake and tsunami
preparedness in each region when the respective events oc-
curred and how people were impacted. At the time of the In-
(a)
(b)
Figure 13.31 Coastal impacts associated with the 2004 and 2011 tsunamis.
(a) Damage along the shore of the Indian Ocean due to
the 2004 tsunami. (b) Damage on the northeast coast of Japan resulting from the 2011 tsunami.
