Tsunamis and Earthquakes in Japan This Article

¶ … Tsunamis and Earthquakes in Japan

This article looks at the Geographical effects of the tsunami and earthquake. It is a research that analysis the disastrous implications of tsunamis and earthquakes to the human and physical environment of the Japanese people. It considers a geographical analysis as a type of analysis that stipulates the area covered by a study. The paper outlines the causes of tsunamis and earth quakes, areas where it were affected in Northern Japan, the aftermath effect of the tsunami and earth quakes in Northern Japan finally a conclusion of what is expected of the entire world in relation to the calamities in Northern Japan.

A tsunami is a consequential oceanic shake stimulated up by tectonic, conventional processes or volcanic action on ocean floors. An earthquake is a vibration at the epicenter of the earth resultant from subversive movements along fault planes or from volcanic activity or from another disruptive activity. Both tsunamis and earthquakes are environmental phenomena that are known to have both man-made and physical implications.

Causes of Tsunamis and Earthquakes

These phenomena have been attributed to several causes; human and physical. The making and testing of nuclear weapons in deep sea or oceanic waters is considered to be one of the causes of earthquake and tsunamis. The concept behind is when the floor of the sea deforms and, as a result, displaces the overlying water, for example, the tectonic earthquake occur with this formation and can create a tsunami if it occurs in a large water body. Other major causes are volcanic eruptions, deep mining activities and isostatic adjustments between the moon and earth. Earthquakes are engendered by the stretching and compression of land. The two phenomena are related in a way that one can influence the other. In the year 1993, Hokkaido earthquake generated a tsunami.

Geographical effects of tsunamis

Tsunamis affect the geographical structure and potential of a locale. The impacts mostly affect physical environments; soil and water. These two are which are essential entities in Agriculture hence limit production. Tsunamis cause salinity of soil. The soils in the coastal areas turn out to be saline due to secondary salinization process. The saline water contains excess soluble salts like chlorides as well as sulphates of sodium, carbon and magnesium. These are the end-products of volcanic activity. The resultant effect of this in agriculture is that weak plants that grow in saline environment are associated with soaring osmotic stress thus causing poisonous ionic effect, less water in soils and nutritional imbalance resulting from interaction of complex nutrients (Petersen et al., 2012, pg 187). It also exerts a harmful effect on soil-biot.

In terms of geographical locale, Tohoku was immensely affected. Some of the major effects include: over a million houses were in a black out as electricity was cut short. The city experienced major damages relating to fire at Chiba refinery, demography trend, and devastation of other geographical sectors amounting to the town's economic status.

Tsunamis have affected a very large geographical coverage in the Northeast coast of Japan. Earthquake magnitude of 8.8 cased a massive damage in Sendai. This was the strongest tsunami and earthquake to be ever registered in the accounts of earthquake and tsunami disasters in Japan. It led to the rise in number of deaths to over 1,000 people. An estimated number of 200 to 300 dead bodies were sported alongside waterlines in the city of Sendai. Many homes were destroyed leaving people homeless. Roads became impassable after the struck stopping operations in the city. Tsunamis have an aftermath that paralyses the economic development of a certain geographical set up. In this case, Northern Japan has fallen victim since after every renovation another calamity occurs and the effect is the same; eventually, the country establishes significant measures to deal with the situational problem.

Nuclear power plants in the areas affected by tsunami experienced breakdowns leaking massive amount of radiation, which is harmful, to people, plants and animals. One Friday the waves rose to 30 feet, and the resultant effect being that cars were whisked away as the wave carried blaze towards was buildings near factories. The geographical location of northern Japan makes it experience the tsunami calamity regularly because it is not prevented in any way since it is an island. The Japanese themselves have tried to manage this problem by planting a forest that reduces the intensity of the tsunami from worsening the calamity

Earthquakes Northern Japan

Earthquakes in Northern Japan are as a result of geographical thrust faulting near or on subduction zone interface boundaries between the North America and Pacific plates (Spall, 2009, pg. 4). They are mainly caused by the intensity of the tsunamis that moves several areas of Japan to about six miles in and entire of towns; for instance, Minami-Sanriku (Fackler, 2011, pg.28). Japan has so far experienced over 275 aftershocks of 5 or greater magnitude. Tectonic plates also contribute to earthquake occurrence during formation of physical features like plains and plateaus (Spall, 2009, pg .4). It takes place when plates drift against each other. Other causes of earthquakes are volcanic eruption.

Earthquakes have affected the landscape of Japan's coastline. One of the areas that portray, this is Honshu having shifted eight feet; the long-term concerns are trivial-land. The raising and lowering of plates open up cracks on land. Japan is mountainous, it is covered with thick forests and densely populated areas in the low lands (Walter, 1998, pg 245). The most intense earthquakes that led to the use of too much finances to resettle are: Tokyo in 1923 and near Kobe in 1995. The geological position of Northern Japan general is prone to earthquake because the land here is usually subjected to a lot of stretch by the water body surrounding the Japanese islands.