Earthquake

An earthquake (also known as a quake, tremor or temblor) is the result of a sudden release of energy in the Earth's crust that creates seismic waves. Theseismicity or seismic activity of an area refers to the frequency, type and size of earthquakes experienced over a period of time. Earthquakes are measured using observations from seismometers. The moment magnitude is the most common scale on which earthquakes larger than approximately 5 are reported for the entire globe..

 The largest earthquakes in historic times have been of magnitude slightly over 9, although there is no limit to the possible magnitude. The most recent large earthquake of magnitude 9.0 or larger was a 9.0 magnitude earthquake in Japan in 2011 (as of March 2011),

The 2011 off the Pacific coast of Tohoku Earthquake, also known as the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake, the Great East Japan Earthquake,^[6][7]  was a magnitude 9.0 (M_w) undersea megathrust earthquake off the coast of Japan that occurred at 14:46 JST(05:46 UTC) on Friday, 11 March 2011,^[2][3][8] with the epicenter approximately 70 kilometres (43 mi) east of the Oshika Peninsula of Tōhoku and the hypocenter at an underwater depth of approximately 32 km (20 mi).^[2][9] It was the most powerful known earthquake to have hit Japan, and one of the five most powerful earthquakes in the world overall since modern record-keeping began in 1900.^[8][10][11] It was so powerful the island of Honshu was moved 8 feet eastward. The earthquake triggered extremely destructive tsunami waves of up to 40.5 metres (133 ft) in Miyako, Iwate, Tōhoku.^[12][13] In some cases traveling up to 10 km (6 mi) inland.^[where?][14] In addition to loss of life and destruction of infrastructure, the tsunami caused a number of nuclear accidents, primarily the ongoing level 7 meltdowns at three reactori n the Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant complex, and the associated evacuation zones affecting hundreds of thousands of residents.^[15][16]

Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan said, 

"In the 65 years after the end of World War II, this is the toughest and the most difficult

crisis for Japan."^[17]. 

The Japanese National Police Agencyhas confirmed 15,641 deaths,^[4][5] 5,699 injured,^[4][5] and 5,007 people missing^[4][5] across eighteen prefectures, as well as over 125,000 buildings damaged or destroyed.^[4][5] The earthquake and tsunami caused extensive and severe structural damage in Japan, including heavy damage to roads and railways as well as fires in many areas, and a dam collapse.^[14][18] Around 4.4 million households in northeastern Japan were left without electricity and 1.5 million without water.^[19] Many electrical generators were taken down, and at least three nuclear reactors suffered explosions due to hydrogen gas that had built up within their outer containment buildings after cooling system failure. Residents within a 20 km (12 mi) radius of the Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant and a 10 km (6.2 mi) radius of the Fukushima II Nuclear Power Plant were evacuated. In addition, the U.S. recommended that its citizens evacuate up to 80 km (50 mi) of the plant.^[20]


"Earthquake is a great disaster God save us and our World from future disaster."
(Ameen)