2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami

A magnitude 9.0–9.1 undersea earthquake off northeastern Japan on March 11, 2011, that generated a devastating tsunami and triggered the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster.

Japan Trench: A deep ocean trench east of northeastern Japan where the Pacific Plate descends beneath the Okhotsk Plate. The earthquake ruptured the plate boundary along this subduction zone.
Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster: The nuclear accident at Fukushima Daiichi that followed tsunami flooding and loss of electrical power in March 2011. The tsunami disabled cooling systems and led to reactor core damage and radioactive releases.
Pacific Plate: A major tectonic plate underlying much of the Pacific Ocean. Its descent beneath northeastern Japan loaded the fault that ruptured in 2011.
2011 Tōhoku earthquake seismic recordings: Instrumental records of seismic waves produced by the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake. Global seismometers captured waves that lasted for several minutes and traveled around Earth.
2010 Chile earthquake: A magnitude 8.8 megathrust earthquake off central Chile on February 27, 2010. It was another great subduction earthquake, but its tsunami and coastal impacts differed markedly.
Megathrust earthquake: A large earthquake caused by sudden slip on a shallow fault where one tectonic plate is forced beneath another. The Tōhoku rupture was an unusually powerful example of this earthquake type.
2011 Tōhoku tsunami evacuation: The movement of people to safety during the tsunami that struck northeastern Japan on March 11, 2011. Evacuation timing and access to high ground strongly influenced survival.
Okhotsk Plate: A tectonic plate that includes northeastern Japan and parts of the northwest Pacific region. The overriding plate moved during the earthquake as the Pacific Plate slipped beneath it.
2011 Tōhoku tsunami observations: Measurements of the 2011 tsunami from tide gauges, ocean buoys, and coastal surveys. These observations document wave heights, arrival times, and flooding patterns.
2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami: A magnitude 9.1–9.3 undersea earthquake that generated a transoceanic tsunami on December 26, 2004. Both disasters involved great megathrust ruptures, but the 2004 tsunami crossed an entire ocean basin.

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