Tsunami in Japan, 2011. Real-Time Forecasting of Tsunamis (RIFT) simulation of a tsunami which originated on the coastline of Honshu, Japan, on March 11th, 2011. A 9.0 moment magnitude earthquake generated a tsunami with waves as high as 40 metres, causing over 17, 000 deaths in Japan. This simulation covers 48 hours. RIFT takes earthquake information and calculates wave speed, wavelength, and amplitude, and shows what happens when the tsunami waves strike land. Wave height is indicated by colour, blue indicating no hazard and dark red indicating a severe hazard. At the end of the clip, the model also indicates maximum rise in sea levels across the ocean. This system is used by the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center to predict tsunamis and give warning for evacuation. |