Quake Shakes Japan Near Fukushima
December 7, 2012
A 7.3-magnitude earthquake centered off northeastern Japan shook buildings as far away as Tokyo, the capital, and triggered a small 3-foot (1-meter) tsunami. The tsunami occured in the same area that was devastated in March 2011 by a massive earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear disaster. There were, however, no reports of deaths or serious damage in today’s quake.
The March 2011 earthquake and subsequent tsunami left nearly 20,000 people dead and resulted in a series of meltdowns at the Fukushima-Daiichi nuclear power plant, leaking radiation into the sea and air and contaminating the land. Much of the area is still a deserted wasteland.
A huge wave strikes Japan's coast on March 11, 2011. An earthquake that day caused a tsunami (series of powerful ocean waves) that caused widespread destruction on Honshu, Japan's largest island. (© Mainichi Shimbun, Reuters)
Additional World Book articles:
- Fallout
- Big waves: Tracking Deadly Tsunamis (a special report)
- When the Earth Moves ( a special report)
- Japan 1923 (a Back in Time article)
- Japan 2011 (a Back in Time article)
