11 March 2011, MW 9.1, Near the East Coast of Honshu Japan Tsunami

TTT Japan 2011The 11 March 2011 magnitude 9.1 Honshu, Japan earthquake (38.322 N, 142.369 E, depth 32 km) generated a devastating local tsunami that struck the Pacific coast of Honshu within about 20 minutes and that was observed all over the Pacific region. As of 30 May 2011, the Japan National Police Agency reports 15,270 persons killed and 8,499 persons missing from the earthquake and tsunami. 115,433 residents are still staying at evacuation shelters. The 2011 Tohoku Earthquake Tsunami Joint Survey Group reports highest tsunami runup heights at Sendai in the 15-20 m range. On 7 April 2011, a M7.1 (USGS) earthquake aftershock occurred which killed 2 persons, but no tsunami was generated.

The Japan Meteorological Agency’s national tsunami warning center issued a tsunami warning 3 minutes after the earthquake triggering the alerting process that immediately broadcasted by mass media and locally activated sirens and other mitigation countermeasures such as flood gate closures. Live video of the advancing tsunami waves and their impact on structures at the coast was aired by Japan NHK television and seen at the same time globally. Despite Japan’s sustained and globally-recognized excellence in tsunami preparedness, many casualties resulted and again reminded us of the swiftness and destructive power of tsunamis. Waves overtopped tsunami walls and destroyed many structures, especially wooden homes. Nonetheless, some tall reinforced concrete buildings and evacuation platforms did survive and allowed citizens to shelter in place by vertically evacuating. Tsunami waves also caused huge infrastructure damage to the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant, resulting in the meltdown of core reactors and local emission of dangerous radiation. Like the previous tsunamis, drowning was the main cause of death, with casualties greatest in the elderly.

The tsunami also propagated across the entire Pacific Ocean, with runups up to 5 m and $32.13 million (dollars in 2016; $30.6M dollars in 2011) in damage to harbors and homes in Hawaii 7 hours later, up to 3 m and $100 million (dollars in 2011) in damage plus recovery in California 12 hours later, and up to 3 m heights and more than $6 million (dollars in 2011) in damage 22 hours later in Chile. Outside of Japan, 1 person died in California, USA, and 1 person died in Papua, Indonesia.

The 11 March 2011 Japanese tsunami was the first to cause deaths since the 1993 Sea of Japan magnitude 7.7 earthquake caused 23 deaths and generated a tsunami that caused an additional 208 deaths in Japan. In comparison, the most fatal and damaging tsunami that has ever occurred in the world was the 2004 magnitude 9.1 Sumatra earthquake and tsunami that caused almost 230,000 deaths, $10 billion in damage, and a maximum water height of 50 m.

According to the NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) (formerly National Geophysical Data Center (NGDC) / World Data Center for Marine Geology and Geophysics) Global Historical Event databases, 260 confirmed tsunamis have been generated near Japan since 684 A.D. Of these, 71 (27%) caused deaths. The majority of Japanese tsunamis were generated by earthquakes (94%), the remainder were caused by volcanic eruptions (6%). The most fatal Japanese tsunamis are listed below:

  • 1498 Enshunada Sea earthquake-generated tsunami caused 31,000 deaths
  • 1586 Ise Bay earthquake and tsunami caused over 8,000 deaths
  • 1707 Nankaido earthquake and tsunami caused 30,000 deaths
  • 1771 Ryukyu Islands earthquake-generated tsunami caused over 13,000 deaths
  • 1896 Sanriku earthquake and tsunami caused over 27,000 deaths

1) Alert Information International
  • PTWC Official Messages (DOC, 381 KB)
  • WC/ATWC Official Messages (DOC, 434 KB)
  • JMA Official Messages (DOC, 102 KB)

  • IOC Summary Timeline
  • IOC Bulletin No. 1   (16 Mar 201, DOC, 561 KB)
  • IOC Bulletin No. 2   (17 Mar 2011, DOC, 1.1 MB)
  • IOC Bulletin No. 3   (18 Mar 2011, DOC, 655 KB)
  • IOC Bulletin No. 4   (19 Mar 2011, DOC, 184 KB)
  • IOC Bulletin No. 5   (20 Mar 2011, DOC, 623 KB)
  • IOC Bulletin No. 6   (21 Mar 2011, DOC, 1.2 MB)
  • IOC Bulletin No. 7   (22 Mar 2011, DOC, 1.0 MB)
  • IOC Bulletin No. 8   (23 Mar 2011, DOC, 864 KB)
  • IOC Bulletin No. 9   (24 Mar 2011, DOC, 664 KB)
  • IOC Bulletin No. 10 (25 Mar 2011, DOC, 602 KB)
  • IOC Bulletin No. 11 (28 Mar 2011, DOC, 319 KB)
  • IOC Bulletin No. 12 (29 Mar 2011, DOC, 287 KB)
  • IOC Bulletin No. 13 (30 Mar 2011, DOC, 471 KB)
  • IOC Bulletin No. 14 (31 Mar 2011, DOC, 635 KB)
  • IOC Bulletin No. 15 (01 Apr 2011, DOC, 2.2 MB)
  • IOC Bulletin No. 16 (04 Apr 2011, DOC, 246 KB)
  • IOC Bulletin No. 17 (05 Apr 2011, DOC, 319 KB)
  • IOC Bulletin No. 18 (11 Apr 2011, DOC, 438 KB)
  • IOC Bulletin No. 19 (12 Apr 2011, DOC, 860 KB)
  • IOC Bulletin No. 20 (14 Apr 2011, DOC, 503 KB)
  • IOC Bulletin No. 21 (18 Apr 2011, DOC, 1.37 MB)
  • IOC Bulletin No. 22 (22 Apr 2011, DOC, 1.2 MB)
  • IOC Bulletin No. 23 (02 May 2011, DOC, 438 KB)
  • IOC Bulletin No. 24 (18 May 2011, DOC, 569 KB)
  • IOC Bulletin No. 25 (30 May 2011, DOC, 705 KB)
2) Sea Level
  • Observed Water Heights and Computed Travel Times
    (NGDC, JPG, 2.6 MB)
  • Observed Water Heights in Japan (NGDC, PNG, 5 MB)
  • Philippines NAMRIA Sea Level Stations  
    (OCEANOWEB, PDF, (2.9 MB)
  • Tsunami Observations (Japan JMA, PDF, 164 KB)
  • Japan Tide Gauge Data (Japan JMA, PDF, 61 KB)
  • Tsunami Observations, 21 Mar 2011
    (PTWC, ZIP of KMZ, 180 KB)
  • RIFT tsunami forecast during event, M9.1 (PTWC)
    • KMZ (ZIP of KMZ, 7.5 MB)
    • Energy and Max wave amplitudes (JPG, 1.3 MB)
    • Max wave amplitudes by country (JPG, 688 KB)
  • Tsunami Observations & Forecasts (NTWC, Website)
  • Indonesia BMKG Report (BMKG, DOC, 29 KB)
  • New Zealand, including Ross Sea (NIWA, DOC, 401 KB)
  • Japan Tide Records (Maritime Safety Agency, PDF, 279 KB)
  • Brazil, Arraial do Cabo (S. Rabinovich, PNG, 29 KB)
  • British Columbia (S. Rabinovich, JPG, 578 KB)
  • Washington State (S. Rabinovich, JPG, 717 KB)
  • Touhoku Hokubu Tide (CRIEPI, PDF, 322 KB)
  • Touhoku Nanbu Tide (CRIEPI, PDF, 340 KB)
3) Seismic
  • USGS NEIC Earthquake Information (Website)
  • PTWC Historical Earthquake Plot (JPG, 143 KB)
  • Earthquake Plot (USGS, GIF, 111 KB)
  • Historical Seismicity (USGS, JPG, 389 KB)
  • Seismological data, products early results (IRIS, Website)
  • 03/11/2011 Tohoku, Japan Earthquake, Educational 
    Slides (USGS, Website)
  • 3-day Aftershock Cloud (Slava Gusiakov, JPG, 274 KB)
4) Model Simulations
  • NOAA PMEL Center for Tsunami Research (Website)
  • NOAA PMEL YouTube Videos (Website)
5) Data and Information Sites
  • Preliminary GeoClaw results for 11 March 2011 Honshu event
    (University of Washington, Website)
  • Tsunami Historical Catalogue (Nobuo Shuto, DOC, 56 KB)
  • 11 March 2011 off the Pacific coast of Tohoku Earthquake
    (Japan Researchers, Website)
  • GEO's Tohoku-oki Event Supersite, earthquake source characterization and GPS (GEO, Website)
  • California and Hawaii 
    (USGS Pacific Coast & Marine Science Center, Website)
  • California Earthquake Clearinghouse (EERI, Website)
6) Media
  • Japan Damage Reports
    • Powerful Quake and Tsunami Devastate Northern Japan (New York Times, Website)
    • Hundreds Killed by Massive Tsunami After 8.9-Magnitude
      Quake Rocks Japan (Fox News, Website)
    • Widespread destruction from Japan earthquake, tsunamis (CNN, Website)
    • Japan earthquake: Tsunami hits north-east 
      (BBC News, Website)
  • Tsunami Reports Outside Japan
    • 200 boats damaged; harbors remain closed after tsunami strikes (Honolulu Star Advertiser, Website)
    • Tsunami: Much of Crescent City harbor destroyed; 
      4 people swept into sea, 1 feared dead
      (Los Angeles Times, Website)
    • Tsunami brushes Alaska coast; no damage reported
      (Anchorage Daily News, Website)
    • Japan earthquake and tsunami: Before and after the cleanup, March 2013 (LA Times, Website)
7) Photos,
Satellite Imagery
  • Satellite images, Before and After (ABC news, Website)
  • Reido and Bougasawa, Yamada Bay, Iwate Prefecture, Japan
    (Nobuo Shuto, DOC, 598 KB)
  • Tsunami-related standing water bodies, Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan (UNITAR-UNOSAT, PDF, 2.8 MB)
8) Videos
  • NOAA PMEL YouTube Videos
    (Japan 2011 earthquake/tsunami videos)
  • Tsunamis Impacting Hawaii Island - 11 March 2011, Mw9.1, Honshu, Japan (ITIC)
  • 2011 Great East Japan Tsunami - Tsunami Strike Japan, Part 1: Destruction (NOAA)
  • 2011 Great East Japan Tsunami - Tsunami Strike Japan, Part 2: (NOAA) Propagation
  • 2011 Great East Japan Tsunami - Tsunami Strike Japan, Part 3: Warning Systems (NOAA)
  • CNN's YouTube Channel
    (Japan 2011 earthquake/tsunami videos)
  • 2011: Japan's devastating tsunami [Source: CNN]
    (CNN)
    CNN takes a look at the moment last March a tsunami struck the coastal areas of Japan's Tohoku region.
  • 2011: Japan tsunami brings destruction [Source: CNN]
    (CNN)
    A look at tthe day of destruction caused by an earthquake and tsunami off the Japanese coast.
  • 2011: A day of destruction in Japan [Source: CNN]
    (CNN)
    The strongest earthquake in Japan's history led to mass destruction and a tsunami that wiped out many coastal towns.
  • Japan Tsunami [Source: Reuters] (The Guardian)
    Video footage shot in various locations around north-east Japan shows raging tsunami waves rushing over embankments and flowing into cities and towns carrying vehicles, ships and houses inland.
  • Tsunami Aerial Reconnaissance - Maui HI - March 11, 2011
    [Source: Wendy Osher] (YouTube)
  • Damage in Kealakekua Bay, Big Island of Hawaii
    [Source: Unknown] (YouTube)
  • Filmed 5 km (3 miles) off the north-eastern coast of Japan the images show the waves rolling towards the Matsushima coast guard vessel. (Japan Coast Guard)
9) Post-Earthquake Post-Tsunami Surveys
  • 2011 off the Pacific Coast of Tohoku, Japan Earthquake
    and Tsunami Information Clearinghouse, 2011 Tohoku Earthquake Tsunami Joint Survey Group (Website)
  • International Post-Tsunami Survey Team - ITST-Japan 
    (ITIC, Website)
  • Sendai Japan Earthquake & Tsunami Clearinghouse
    (EERI, Website)
10) Other
  • Ground Subsidence (Sankei newspaper, DOC, 29 KB)
  • Tsunami height of the Meiji and Showa Great Sanriku Tsunami
    (Nobuo Shuto, DOC, 106 KB)
  • Tsunami run-up height at Ryori Shirahama
    (Earthquake Research Institute, JPG, 70 KB)
  • 1933 Showa Tsunami, Runup at Ryori Shirahama 
    (Matsuo Haruo, JPG, 295 KB)
  • Keicho Tsunami at the Koyadori Pass (Nobuo Shuto)
    • Map (JPG, 1.8 MB)
    • Photo (JPG,  41 KB)
  • Reido in the Bay of Yamada, Iwate Prefecture
    • Airphoto of flooded area by 2011 tsunami  
      (Nobuo Shuto, JPG, 66 KB)
    • Map of flooded area by 1933 Showa Tsunami, Meiji 
      Tsunami & 1611 Keicho Tsunami  
      (Prof. A Imamura, JPG, 225 KB)
  • Bougasawa in the Bay of Yamada, Iwate Prefecture
    • Airphoto of flooded area by 2011 tsunami 
      (Nobuo Shuto, JPG, 74 KB)
    • Map of flooded area by 1933 Showa Tsunami, Meiji
      Tsunami & 1611 Keicho Tsunami
      (Prof. A Imamura, JPG, 197 KB)

     

      

 

 

 

 

 

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