Living with Earthquake/ volcanoes - Japan.
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- Created by: DoRevision123
- Created on: 20-05-18 15:26
Japan - Tectonic Setting.
- Located in one of most tectionally active areas on plate boundaries in world.
- Four tectonic plates meet, widespread seduction leads to intense volcanic activity.
- nearly 12000 volcanic eruptions recorded in past 2 millenia.
- Different scales of average frequency for volcanic eruptions suggest less variable frequencys equate to more explosive ones.
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Great East Japan Earthquake: Tohoku.
- One in five top recordings in Japanese history.
- 11 March 2011.
- 9Mw in magitude.
- Epicentre 70km East of Oshika Peninsula.
- Focus was 30km.
- 400km of coastline dropped by 0.4km.
- Lasted six minutes.
- Undersea megathrust earthquake.
- Seismic energy are caused by the same force generating volcanoes but instead bring the risks of tsunamis.
- Pacific coast is especially vulnerable as it has a dense population and comes with three huge conurbations; Tokyo, Osaka and Nagoya.
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Social Impacts.
- 16,000 deaths, 6000 injuries.
- (2/5) 60+, (1/4) 70+.
- 90% deaths were due to drowning, the rest being from burns and collapsed buildings.
- 100,000 seperated from their families with their whereabouts being an inssue. 2000 had lost at least one parent.
- Traditional mourning regimes had to be abandoned for mass burial of dead bodies as the government agreed this would minimise the spread of disease.
- When one elementary school collasped, 10/13 teachers and 74/108 students were lost.
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Economic Impacts.
- 230,000 vehicles were either destroyed or damaged; 15 ports were directly affected, with four destroyed in the northeast of Japan, including Sendai.
- 4.4 million households and thousands of businesses lost electricity. The major cause of this disruption was the immediate shutdown of 11 nuclear reactors.
- At the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant (Figure 14.26), all six of its reactors were so severely damaged by the tsunami that the plant was decommissioned.
- Some 25 million tonnes of debris was created by the earthquake, requiring a costly clean-up operation. Over large areas, farmland flooded by sea water has been contaminated by salt and made uncultivable.
- Transport infrastructure was badly hit. Many road bridges were damaged or destroyed and in the northeast train services were badly disrupted.
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Some 25 million tonnes of debris was created by the earthquake, requiring a costly clean-up operation. Over large areas, farmland flooded by sea water has been contaminated by salt and made uncultivable.
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Political Impacts.
- Japanese government injected billions of yen into the economy, especially the financial sector, to bring some stability. This increased government debt at a time when its reduction was a prime political aim.
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After the Tohoku earthquake. Concerns over safety standards and regulation of the nuclear industry became a political issue.
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The government has yet to make a clear decision about the role of nuclear power in Japan’s long-term energy mix. Several executives of companies involved in the Fukushima power plant have resigned.
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emerged that warnings about the inadequacy of the defences against tsunami hazards had been made several years before the disaster.
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coping Strategies.
Vulnerability modifications:
- Tsunami warning systems off the coast.
- Fire proofing older buidings more suspectible to burning, common in older city districtsof Japan.
- Land-use zoning providing open spaces for assembly after earthquakes.
- Controlling building in locations suspectible to liquefaction or excessive ground shaking.
- Research and monitoring; JMA provides mitigation strageties for tectonic hazards such as extreme weather, tsunamis and earthquakes by providing information and warning about impending disasters.
- Using aseismic design in buildings.
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Modifications.
- Japan has vast resources to manage losses caused by earthquakes.
- Well-rehearsed recovery and reconstruction plans, at national, regional and local levels, can be actioned immediately following an earthquake.
- To rebuild physically, economically and socially ASAP.
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