Japan 2011On March 11, 2011, Japan suffered one of the worst earthquakes and tsunamis of all time. It happened in northeast Japan. The tsunami began when a magnitude 9.0 earthquake was triggered off the northeast coast of Honshu, Japan's main island. The tsunami devastated many coastal regions in the area and also triggered a major nuclear problem at the Fukishima power plant. Pacific Ocean.”(Britannia School, John P.Rafferty 2011) The epicenter was just 80 miles east of the city of Sendai. “The cause of the earthquake was a sudden rupture of the subduction zone associated with the Japan Trench. The Japan Trench separates the Eurasian plate from the subducting Pacific plate. This subduction zone moved southeastward as much as 164 feet and exploded upward 33 feet causing the tsunami wave.” (Britannica School, John P.Rafferty 2011) This process is called subduction and a convergent boundary because the Pacific plate went under the Eurasian plate causing it to burst upwards. "The earthquake was felt as far away as Russia and Beijing." (Britannica School, John P. Rafferty 2011) It was followed by numerous aftershocks, one of magnitude 7.2, 25 miles away from the epicenter of the main earthquake. “It was the fourth most powerful earthquake ever recorded. (Britannica School, J P.Rafferty 2011.) Figure 2 NA Google Images The eruption of the Pacific plate created many dangerous and destructive tsunami waves. “A wave that measures more than 33 feet" (Brita... middle of paper... for $130 billion The environment has also suffered News, 2009, Author NA) Floods and fires have also damaged the rainforests and those surrounding the Sichuan. But it was said that China's reconstruction would not take long, meaning it would take less than 10 years to conclude. Japan's 2011 earthquake had a greater impact than China's 2008 because they died. more people and the economic loss was greater. Also the earthquake in Japan triggered a tsunami which caused more damage to Japan than the Chinese earthquake to China and this was because the earthquake was of magnitude 9.0. It seemed to affect many people in China, but this was due to the population density of the area. Overall the 2011 Japan earthquake was a more powerful and destructive earthquake.