Between the Poles

Magnitude 7.1 earthquake 118 km north of Fukushima, tsunami warning in effect

7 April 2011 15:32 GMT

The BBC has reported that a magnitude 7.1 earthquake has occurred off the east coast of Honshu, 118 km north of Fukushima, 40 km offshore.  A tsunami with a wave height of 2m was predicted.  Japanese authorities have ordered an evacuation from the zone at risk from the tsunami.  Fukushima Daiichi workers were also evacuated.   It is reported that there has been no detectable effect at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, nor at two other nuclear plants in the area.

For comparison the 1989 earthquake that hit San Francisco, was magnitude 6.9.

Japanese OSGEO Site Provides Geospatial and Other Information for Sendai Earthquake and Tsunami

The Japanese OSGEO Chapter web site provides geospatial and other resources to assist people after the earthquakes and tsunami that hit Japan's northeast starting Friday including

目次 Table of Contents
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    * 1 被災後空中写真 A post-disaster aerial photographs
    * 2 被災後衛星画像 Two post-disaster satellite imagery
    * 3 情報集約サイト Information Aggregation Site 3
    * 4 原発避難関係 Between four primary evacuation
    * 5 計画停電関係 Blackouts between 5
    * 6 避難関係 Between six evacuation
    * 7 通信関係 7 communication relationships
    * 8 交通関係 8 in traffic accidents
    * 9 自然地理・地震学に関わる空間データ・その他データ Spatial data and other data relating to seismology

 

Satellite Imagery: Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Plant Before and After Earthquake and Tsunami

Imagery taken before and currently of different parts of Japan affected by the earthquake and tsunami including Fukushima Daiichi and other nuclear power plants are on-line from the New York Times.  Thanks to Ray Hawat for pointing me to this.

Rupture Modeling of the Sendai Earthquake

The Harvard Seismology Group has used USArray Transportable Array data to image the rupture properties of the March 11, 2011 Tohoku-Chiho Taiheiyo-Oki earthquake.  The results suggest that the Sanriku-Oki earthquake on March 9, 2011 is not a foreshock, but rather an independent event that may have triggered the main earthquake. Similarly, the Ibaraki-Oki earthquake that happened about half an hour after the main event may not be an aftershock. It is possible that this event might have been triggered by the main event.

Massive Tsunami in Fukushima Prefecture March 11

The 2011 Sendai earthquake was a 9.0 magnitude earthquake off the northeast coast of Japan that occurred at 14:46 JST (05:46 UTC) on 11 March 2011.  The epicenter was reported to be 130 kilometers off the east coast of the Oshika Peninsula, Tōhoku, with the hypocenter at a depth of 24.4 km.

The resulting tsunami is reported to have hit Soma in Fukushima Prefecture, about 50 km north of Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, at 15:50 JST March 11.  Wave height at Soma was reported to have been 7.3m or more.