Special: The Tohoku-Oki Earthquake, Japan
The 11 March 2011 magnitude-9.0 Tohoku-Oki earthquake off the eastern coast of Japan was one of the largest recorded earthquakes in history. It triggered a devastating tsunami that killed more than 20,000 people and an ongoing nuclear disaster at the Fukushima Daiichi power plant.
This collection contains the early research and continued coverage of scientific insights into the mechanics of the Tohoku-Oki earthquake and its consequences for Japan.
Latest Coverage
Report | 6 December 2013
Structure and Composition of the Plate-Boundary Slip Zone for the 2011 Tohoku-Oki Earthquake
The Tohoku-oki earthquake occurred along a thin, clay-rich fault zone in the basal strata of the subducting plate.
Report | 6 December 2013
Low Coseismic Friction on the Tohoku-Oki Fault Determined from Temperature Measurements
Rotary shear experiments reveal the frictional properties of clay-rich material recovered directly from the fault zone.
Report | 6 December 2013
Low Coseismic Shear Stress on the Tohoku-Oki Megathrust Determined from Laboratory Experiments
A temperature anomaly of 0.31°C indicates coseismic friction was extremely low during the earthquake.
Perspective | 6 December 2013
Dangers of Being Thin and Weak
Ocean drilling data show that the large trench-breaching rupture of the 2011 Tohoku–Oki earthquake occurred along a thin and
weak fault zone.
Research
Report | 8 February 2013
Stress State in the Largest Displacement Area of the 2011 Tohoku-Oki Earthquake
Borehole stress measurements indicate a nearly total stress drop in the region of largest slip.
Review | 9 March 2012
Nuclear Fuel in a Reactor Accident
Report | 10 February 2012
Propagation of Slow Slip Leading Up to the 2011 Mw 9.0 Tohoku-Oki Earthquake
Two sequences of slow slip preceded and migrated toward the main rupture.
Report | 17 June 2011 Free Access
The 2011 Magnitude 9.0 Tohoku-Oki Earthquake: Mosaicking The Megathrust from Seconds to Centuries
Data from land-based GPS receivers and tsunami gauge measurements have been used to model the motion and extent of the earthquake.
(published online 19 May)
Report | 17 June 2011 Free Access
Shallow Dynamic Overshoot and Energetic Deep Rupture in the 2011 Mw 9.0 Tohoku-Oki Earthquake
Spatial variation in the earthquake's rupture controlled both the strength of shaking and the size of the tsunami that followed.
(published online 19 May)
Brevium | 17 June 2011 Free Access
Displacement Above the Hypocenter of the 2011 Tohoku-Oki Earthquake
GPS and acoustic data reveal very large seafloor movements associated with the quake directly above the focal region. (published
online 19 May)
Commentary
Perspective | 23 August 2013
Megacity Megaquakes—Two Near Misses
Seismicity patterns after large earthquakes suggest that the earthquake hazard can rise sharply in areas well beyond the mainshock
rupture zone.
Perspective | 26 October 2012
Fishing for Answers off Fukushima
Radionuclide levels in fish off Fukushima are highly variable but remain elevated, indicating a continuing source of radiation.
Policy Forum | 8 June 2012
A Safer Nuclear Enterprise
Strong regulation and peer review are needed, particularly in nations new to nuclear power and weapons.
Perspective | 1 June 2012
Tracking the Fukushima Radionuclides
Ongoing radionuclide monitoring and tracking efforts are required following the nuclear accident at the Fukushima Daiichi
Nuclear Power Plant.
Editorial | 9 March 2012
Worldwide Lessons from 11 March
Brevia | 2 December 2011
The 2011 Tohoku-Oki Earthquake: Displacement Reaching the Trench Axis
Vertical and horizontal displacement that occurred up to the Japan trench likely contributed to formation of the tsunami.
Policy Forum | 16 September 2011
Preventing the Next Fukushima
Weak authority and largely voluntary standards limit global institutions' impact on nuclear safety and security.
Policy Forum | 2 September 2011
The Overlooked Back End of the Nuclear Fuel Cycle
The recent accident at the Fukushima nuclear power plant reinforces the need for renewed thinking about nuclear-waste storage
and disposal.
Letter | 5 August 2011
Fukushima Research Needs World's Support
Perspective | 17 June 2011
A Tale of Two Earthquakes
Networks of GPS detectors can provide a detailed picture of the dynamics of earthquakes before, during, and after the event.
News Coverage
News & Analysis | 7 June 2013
Accelerator Leak Halts Japanese Physics Experiments
After a delay in reporting a small radiation leak, Japan's J-PARC accelerator center has been shut down indefinitely; some
are concerned about the impact on physics research.
News Focus | 10 May 2013
Insistence on Gathering Real Data Confirms Low Radiation Exposures
The massive evacuation and strict monitoring of food appear to have successfully limited the amount of radiocesium ingested
by Fukushima residents.
News Focus | 3 May 2013
The Pacific Swallows Fukushima's Fallout
The Tohoku disaster had one unprecedented impact: an enormous amount of radiation was deposited in the ocean.
News & Analysis | 13 July 2012
Commission Spreads Blame for Manmade Disaster
A commission set up by Japan's parliament last week blamed Tokyo Electric Power Co. and government regulators for what it
called the "manmade" disaster at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant.
News & Analysis | 8 June 2012
Growing Distaste for Nuclear Power Dims Prospects for R&D
On 28 May, a Japanese governmental advisory body laid out options for the mix of energy sources in 2030, along with projected
effects on the economy and carbon dioxide emissions.
News Focus | 9 March 2012
One Year After the Devastation, Tohoku Designs Its Renewal
Taking stock of the 11 March 2011 earthquake and tsunami, experts are planning communities that should be more resilient the
next time disaster strikes.
News Focus | 9 March 2012
Radioactive Limbo
While the tsunami-ravaged Tohoku region plans its recovery, contaminated areas around the Fukushima Daiichi power plant are
a no-man's land that may remain deserted for decades.
News & Analysis | 20 January 2012
A Tantalizing View of What Set Off Japan's Killer Quake
Japanese scientists combing through the vast jumble of seismic signals recorded in the days before the Tohoku earthquake have
just sorted out more than 1000 newly recognized earthquakes.
News | 23 December 2011
A Disaster and a Warning—But of What?
The great Tohoku earthquake has everyone, seismologists included, wondering where the next blow will come from.
News & Analysis | 5 August 2011
Fukushima Begins 30-Year Odyssey in Radiation Health
Japanese researchers are about to launch one of the most ambitious epidemiological studies ever attempted on the effects of
low-dose radiation.
News Focus | 8 July 2011
Picking Up the Pieces at Ravaged Tohoku University
Four months after the earthquake and tsunami disaster, Tohoku researchers are finding new meaning in their work.
News & Analysis | 17 June 2011
Citizens Find Radiation Far From Fukushima
Civic groups and individuals monitoring radiation released from the ravaged Fukushima nuclear power plant have produced a
worrisome picture of contamination throughout eastern Japan.
News Focus | 20 May 2011 Free Access
Fukushima Revives the Low-Dose Debate
The general public avoided exposure to high levels of radioactivity, but questions linger about the long-term effects of contamination.
News Focus | 20 May 2011 Free Access
Schoolyard Radiation Policy Brings a Backlash
The Japanese government's most controversial misstep in response to the Fukushima nuclear power plant crisis may have been
the release of guidelines on allowable radiological contamination in schoolyards.
News Focus | 20 May 2011 Free Access
Crippled Reactors to Get Cooled and Wrapped
The crisis at the stricken Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant is far from over. Some 100,000 residents who were evacuated
will not return home until the reactors are firmly under control.
News Focus | 20 May 2011 Free Access
New Work Reinforces Megaquake's Harsh Lessons in Geoscience
High-tech analyses of Japan's March earthquake overturn long-held views of fault behavior and warn that another disaster may
be looming.
News Focus | 20 May 2011 Free Access
Seismic Crystal Ball Proving Mostly Cloudy Around the World
Failing at quake prediction, seismologists tried making fuzzier forecasts, but Japan's megaquake is only the latest reminder
of the method's shortcomings.
News & Analysis | 22 April 2011
More Megaquakes on the Way? That Depends on Your Statistics
Could the earthquake that hit off Indonesia 6 years ago somehow have touched off a cluster of great earthquakes spanning the
Pacific, including the magnitude-9.0 "megaquake" that just struck off Japan? And if so, has this cluster played itself out?
Experts differ.
News & Analysis | 1 April 2011
Scientific Consensus on Great Quake Came Too Late
An obscure paper about an earthquake in 869 C.E. that destroyed a castle town in northeastern Japan and a subsequent tsunami
that inundated the surrounding area is now at the center of a growing debate about how quickly scientific findings can and
should influence disaster-mitigation policies.
News & Analysis | 1 April 2011
Pool at Stricken Reactor #4 Holds Answers to Key Safety Questions
Of all the terrible news from the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, reports about the spent fuel storage pool
for reactor #4 may be among the most disconcerting for scientists.
News & Analysis | 25 March 2011
Nuclear Power's Fallout
The crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, like the accidents at Three Mile Island and Chernobyl, is prompting
countries around the world to reassess the safety of their plants and their nuclear aspirations.
INFOGRAPHIC (PDF)Science has created a map that provides a snapshot of the number of nuclear reactors in operation and under construction worldwide, locations of power plants in relation to seismic hazard zones, and reactions to events in Japan in some countries.
News & Analysis | 25 March 2011
Radiation Risks Outlined by Bombs, Weapons Work, and Accidents
Risk calculations for radiation exposure are based heavily on a 63-year study of 94,000 people who survived the two atomic
bombs dropped on Japan in August 1945. It is one of the largest, longest population studies ever done; for radiation safety,
it is the gold standard.
News & Analysis | 25 March 2011
Candidate Radiation Drugs Inch Forward
Over the past 5 years, a few promising candidate drugs designed to ward off the effects of radiation exposure have begun to
undergo animal, and even human, testing. Still, only a few companies and academic groups are addressing this unmet need.
News & Analysis | 25 March 2011
Current Designs Address Safety Problems in Fukushima Reactors
Nuclear reactor designers say that the reactors being built or planned today are quite different—and they say much safer—than
those that are still smoldering in Japan.
News & Analysis | 25 March 2011
Fukushima Cleanup Will Be Drawn Out and Costly
The Fukushima cleanup operation is likely to resemble the protracted cleanup at the Three Mile Island Nuclear Generating Station
in Pennsylvania, where one reactor experienced a partial meltdown in 1979.
News & Analysis | 25 March 2011
Japan's Research Facilities Down But Not Out
Japan's scientific community has been quietly taking stock of how extensively the magnitude-9 earthquake and subsequent tsunami
on 11 March damaged facilities and experiments. The news is mixed.
News & Analysis | 18 March 2011
Devastating Earthquake Defied Expectations
The astonishing power and unexpected location of last week's devastating earthquake in Japan expose the futility of forecasting
where and when the next Big One will hit, geophysicists say.
News & Analysis | 18 March 2011
Waves of Destruction
Most deaths and much of the destruction from last week's powerful earthquake in Japan were the handiwork of the tsunami: Many
victims knew the waves were coming but could not escape or didn't try until it was too late.
Science Insider
Japan Earthquake: The Aftermath
Continuing coverage of the crisis in Japan, including reports from the ground, global reaction, and the science behind the
disaster.
Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)
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