The earthquake causes a tsunami with 30 ft waves that damage several nuclear reactors in the area.
It is the fourth largest earthquake on record (since 1900) and the largest to hit Japan.
Number of people killed:
The confirmed death toll is 15,890 as of February 10, 2015.
Other Facts:
Japan had 54 nuclear reactors, with two under construction, and 17 power plants, that produced about 30% of Japan’s electricity at the time of the earthquake. (IAEA 2011)
Material damage from the earthquake and tsunami is estimated at about 25 trillion yen ($300 billion).
There are six reactors at Tokyo Electric Power Company’s Fukushima Daiichi plant, located about 65 km (40 miles) south of Sendai.
A microsievert is an internationally recognized unit measuring radiation dosage. People are typically exposed to a total of about 1,000 microsieverts in one year.
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September 15, 2013 – Japan’s only operating nuclear reactor is shut down for maintenance. All 50 of the country’s reactors are now offline. The government hasn’t said when or if any of them will come back on.
November 18, 2013 – Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO) says that operators of the Fukushima nuclear plant have started removing 1,500 fuel rods from damaged reactor No. 4. It is considered a milestone in the estimated $50 billion cleanup operation.
February 20, 2014 – TEPCO says an estimated 100 metric tons of radioactive water has leaked from a holding tank at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant.
Japan Tsunami Debris:
The Japanese government estimates that the tsunami swept about five million tons of debris offshore, but that 70 percent sank, leaving 1.5 million tons floating in the Pacific Ocean.
NOAA Modeling Effort of the Debris
The debris is most likely not radioactive. It is no longer in a “debris field,” but scattered across a large area of the North Pacific.
