Seismological Society of America

M. Chavez, K. B. Olsen, E. Cabrera, and N. Perea

Penerbit : Carol A. Mark

Tahun : 2011

The Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America will publish a special issue on the 11 March 2011 Magnitude 9.0-9.1 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami. This is one of the best geophysically recorded great earthquakes and the largest event to have occurred near Japan since at least 869 CE. The earthquake ruptured the megathrust plate boundary in the Japan subduction zone, creating a tsunami that devastated parts of northeastern Honshu for up to 5 kilometers inland and caused damage as far away as western North America. The size of the local tsunami contributed extensively to the high death and damage toll in the densely populated coastal region. Japan’s stringent seismic building codes, early-warning systems, and high public awareness of earthquake and tsunami hazards undoubtedly helped save many lives, but the size of the event and its tsunami exceeded expectations that had guided some earthquake mitigation efforts. The mainshock was preceded by several foreshocks, including one of magnitude 7.2 on March 9. Japan is one of the most heavily instrumented areas on Earth, providing extensive seismological, geodetic, and water-level information that will provide unprecedented resolution of this great earthquake event and the fundamental nature of deformation on the megathrust fault.

Pengarang