"SCIENCE CURRENT EVENTS"

It is Japan's biggest crisis since the Second World War. On Friday March 11, a massive 8.9 magnitude quake struck near Japan's east coast and was followed by a devastating tsunami, which wiped out swathes of the country's coastline. The deadly tidal wave also knocked out several reactors at the Fukushima nuclear power station, giving the world its biggest nuclear crisis since Chernobyl in 1986. This was the sixth largest earthquake in the world since 1900, the Pacific plate moves fast in tectonic terms, at a rate of 9cm a year. This leads to the rapid buildup of huge amounts of energy. As the Pacific plate moves down, it sticks to the overhead plate and pulls it down too. The largest waves measured by instruments in the water were 7 metres high in the north-east of Japan, according to the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre in Hawaii.

 

Facts About:

• The tsunami upgraded from 8.9 to 9.0. 
• It's the most powerful earthquake to hit Japan 
• Over 160 after shocks happen in the first 24 hours. 

                                  By: Ala'ya Stitts