Fukushima Earthquake Research Paper

On March 11, 2011 at 2:46 pm, an Earthquake with a magnitude of 9.0 struck causing tremendous damage to the northern section of Japan. This earthquake that happened in the ocean triggered a series of giant tsunami waves to also strike the northern section. Japan's northern coast lays on the Pacific Ocean, which is greatly known for its tsunamis and its earthquakes. The plant at Fukushima first opened in 1971 and consists of six separate boiling water reactors. It was one of the fifteen largest nuclear power plants in the world and was the only plant at the time to be designed and constructed by General Electric.

The 9.0 magnitude earthquake damaged a nuclear plant in Japan. This nuclear plant is located in Fukushima. The earthquake damaged the Fukushima nuclear plant immensely and permanently damaged some of the reactors. The reactors were so damaged that they were impossible to restart. The source of the earthquake was approximately 43 miles east of the Oshika Peninsula. The earthquake was so severe it is now known as the Great East Japan Earthquake, which also triggered tsunami, waves that reached as high as 133 feet and when they hit shore, they traveled 6 miles inland. The earthquake alone caused tsunami waves, flooding, landslides, fires, building damage and a nuclear …show more content…
On July 10, 1964, Japan created the river act which purpose is to watch for and guard against water disasters. Since the creation of the River Act in 1964, the number for the amount of people dying when a flood does occur decreased significantly until the earthquake and tsunami in 2011. Japan also needs to build up their shorelines, either with walls made by concrete or sand walls to prevent flooding. The Japanese government realized they need to pay more attention to tsunami records and pay for backup systems. They also need to inform the public on how to get out in case of