Japan's monstrous earthquake

2:45pm, 11 march 2010, Japan's earthquake started.

Which city is the first to feel the earthquake?

2000km away from the earthquake epicenter, North of Tokyo, Sendai, capital city of Miyagi Prefecture was the first city to feel the earthquake.

80 miles away from Japan, a fold plate goes down to the other. The pressure of the subduction zone reached it's limit and the continental crust slides up creating earthquake and tsunami.

The earthquake stopped for a moment and another comes again.

Waters are squeezed out of earth, making the escape from the tsunami waves harder for the people.

Fukushima nuclear plant shuts down right after the news of tsunami reach the town.

The water level of Japanese coast is 4 feet lower as the tsunami waves are coming soon.

3.20pm, tsunami waves started pounding the east coast of Japan.

How fast did the water travel?

Kesennuma, a town that becomes sea in 4 minutes. In 15 seconds, roads became river. In 3 minutes, the water level is over 25 feet high.

3rd disaster of Japan

3rd disaster, 3.46pm, 18 feet high walls of Fukushima nuclear plants is no match of the 45 feet high tsunami wave. Due to overheat, the nuclear plants exploded. 4 workers are injured during the explosion.

Why did it exploded?

The plant comprises six separate boiling water reactors originally designed by General Electric(GE), and maintained by the Tokyo Electric Company(TEPCO). At the time of the quake, Reactor 4 had been de-fuelled while 5 and 6 were in cold shutdown for planned maintenance. The remaining reactors shut down automatically after the earthquake, and emergency generators came online to control electronics and coolant systems. The tsunami broke the reactors' connection to the power grid and also resulted in flooding of the rooms containing the emergency generators. Consequently those generators ceased working and the pumps that circulate coolant water in the reactor ceased to work, causing the reactors to begin to overheat. The flooding and earthquake damage hindered external assistance

Side effects

11 hours later, the shore of California,Hawaii and Taiwan are affected by the tsunami waves of Japan.

*Notice that taking a photo when you know the tsunami waves may arrive anytime is really really really really really DANGEROUS.

Aftershocks

Aftershocks of the earthquake occurs around Japan and it's cast.
Over 900 aftershocks occurred after the magnitude 9.1 earthquake occurred.

Unfortunate ones

How many is dead/missing?
The result of people dead is around 13,000.
The result of people missing is around 14,000.