Tsunami run up 23.6 meters from the sea level in Ofunato

By Kikki - Last updated: 金曜日, 3月 25, 2011 - Save & Share - Leave a Comment

Port and Airport Research Institute reported on March 23

12 days has passed since the earthquake disaster in Eastern Japan. The earthquake has still brought about serious consequences in various parts of Japan.

According to the report from the Port and Airport Research Institute based on their field survey, the tsunami dashed up the land of Ofunato city 23.6 meters from the sea level. It is reported on March 23.

The earthquake was almost equivalent to that of 28.7 meters in the 1933 Sanriku earthquake^(*1) in scale. The largest tsunami in our observational history was 38.2 meters in the 1896 Meiji-Sanriku earthquake^(*2).The 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake^(*3)recorded 34.9 meters.

The Port and Airport Research Institute took on the spot investigations requested by Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) at port facilities in Aomori, Iwate, and Miyagi prefectures. The institute figured out the scale from traces of flooded buildings and the testimony of citizens.

The Meteorological Agency indicates that over 2 meters tsunami can destroy wooden houses completely. A reinforced concrete building was unable to withstand against 16 meter-tsunami even it can stand up against 4 meter-tsunami level.

(*1)The Sanriku earthquake (昭和三陸地震,) was a major earthquake whose associated tsunami caused widespread damage to towns on the Sanriku coast of the Tohoku region of Honshu, Japan in 1933.

(*2)The 1896 Meiji-Sanriku earthquake（明治三陸地震）was highly destructive, generating one of the most devastating tsunami in Japanese history, destroying about 9,000 homes and causing at least 22,000 deaths. This magnitude 7.2 event occurred at 19:32 (local time) on June 15, 1896. The magnitude of the tsunami (M_t = 8.2) was much greater than expected for the estimated seismic magnitude and this earthquake has been regarded as being part of a distinct class of events, a tsunami earthquake.

(*3)The 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake was an undersea mega thrust earthquake that occurred at 00:58:53 UTC on Sunday, December 26, 2004, with an epicenter in East Indian Ocean, off the west coast of Sumatra, Indonesia.