The 2011 earthquake off the Pacific coast of Tohoku was the most powerful earthquake in the history of Japan and it was, until now, considered the main reason for the tsunami waves that killed almost 20,000 people. Scientists though, revealed that a huge underwater landslide was an additional cause.
According to a research, presented at last week's Fall Meeting of the American Geophysical Union (AGU), by an international team, led by Professor Dave Tappin of NERC's British Geological Survey, the waves’ height could not be explained by the earthquake alone. Professor Tappin reported that a 40km-wide, 20km-long and 2km-deep landslide was identified and a simultaneous simulation of both landslide and earthquake, explained the high water levels detected along the Honshu coast. The 500 cubic kilometres landslide, triggered by the earthquake could also explain the two separate peaks of tsunami waves that hit 20-30 minutes apart.
Source: NERC
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