THE EARTH WAS SO OLD

Tsunami in Japan

Japan was hit by an enormous earthquake on March 11, 2011, that triggered a deadly 23-foot tsunami in the country's north. The giant waves deluged cities and rural areas alike, sweeping away cars, homes, buildings, a train, and boats, leaving a path of death and devastation in its wake. Video footage showed cars racing away from surging waves. The United States Geological Survey reported the earthquake and on Monday revised its magnitude from 8.9 to 9.0, which is the largest in Japan's history. The earthquake struck about 230 miles northeast of Tokyo. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center issued warnings for Russia, Taiwan, Hawaii, Indonesia, the Marshall Islands, Papua New Guinea, Australia, and the west coasts the U.S., Mexico, Central America, and South America. As of Wednesday, March 16, more than 4,300 were confirmed dead. That number will likey continue to rise with more than 8,000 people still missing.

The quake shook a devastating tsunami that swept the cities and agricultural fields in northern Iraq and warnings went as far to the west coast of the United States and South America.
Fragmentary reports indicate that early toll hundreds of people have been killed. Japanese police officials said 200 to 300 bodies were found in Sendai, a port city in northeast China and the city closest to the epicenter principal.
Walls of water transferred to houses and cars in northern Japan, where panicked residents fled the coast. The trains were shut down in central and northern Japan, including Tokyo, and air transport was severely disrupted. A ship carrying more than 100 people was swept away by the tsunami, reported Kyodo News.
Prime Minister Naoto Kan said the disaster caused major damage to large areas. The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake had a magnitude of 8.9 and occurred about 230 kilometers northeast of Tokyo, at a depth review of about 17 miles. Japan's Meteorological Agency said the quake had a magnitude of 8.8, which they do among the largest in a century.
The quake occurred at 2:46 pm, Tokyo time and crumbs of Honshu, Japan's most populated island.
The earthquake was so powerful that buildings in downtown Tokyo, designed to withstand major earthquakes, swayed.