Japan 8.9 Earthquake and 10-meter Tsunami

Photos and statistics from bbc.co.uk.

The 8.9 magnitude quake at Pacific ocean about 130 East of Sendai, Honshu, Japan on 11th March 2011 has generated a 10-meter high tsunami that swept 10 kilometers inland. Death toll is expected to exceed 10,000.












The quake occurred as the Earth's crust ruptured along an area about 250 miles (400 kilometers) long by 100 miles (160 kilometers) wide, as tectonic plates slipped more than 18 meters, said Shengzao Chen, a USGS geophysicist.

Before and After

Natori City

Sendai

Sendai Port

The powerful earthquake, the biggest ever recorded in Japan, appears to have moved the main island of Japan by 8 feet (2.4 meters) and shifted the planet on its axis by nearly 4 inches (10 centimeters) according to reports from the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology in Italy.