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The Causes Of The T?hoku Earthquake And Tsunami

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Tōhoku Earthquake and Tsunami
By: Harry Kitey

The Great Tōhoku earthquake is one of the deadliest events of the century. The only other recorded earthquake that has been stronger was the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake. This earthquake registered between 8.9-9.0 in magnitude on the Richter scale. It triggered a gigantic tsunami that took a great number of lives. Then the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant’s cooling systems failed, causing some reactors to explode. In the end, this event was the strongest earthquake to ever hit Japan. This paper discusses the lives lost, involvement of plate tectonics, the nuclear emergency, the horrible tsunami, and the devastating earthquake. “The combined total of confirmed deaths and missing is more than 22,000.” These were the horrific words read by millions by the time March 11, 2011 had passed. The devastation started with a 9.0 magnitude earthquake which not only killed and injured at least 500 people, it triggered a tsunami which swept across the coastal plains of Japan. These waves knocked the Fukushima Daiichi’s power out, causing the core to overheat and explode which let out harmful radiation into the air, “contaminating a wide area that still forces nearly 100,000 thousand residents to live as evacuees.” One of the main questions people ask is how did it happen? The answer lies with the plate tectonics. Tectonic plates are pieces of the crust that move slowly across the earth. They can move away from each other which is known

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