2011 Tohoku, Japan Earthquake
by: Virginia Norred
The Tectonic Plates
The 2011 Tohoku Earthquake struck offshore of Japan, along a subduction zone where the Pacific plate and the Eurasian plate collided. The Pacific plate dived underneath the Eurasian plate into the mantle. When the two plates collided it caused an earthquake.
Damage Statistics
The number of houses considered to have been totally destroyed or half destroyed were 128,530 and 240,332. The houses divided in two along the coast that were washed away by the tsunami. There many places where the whole area was destroyed
Damage Estimates
The impact was so severe along coastal and inland areas just north and east of Tokyo. It was estimated the costs of the damage of $150 billion.