Legacy Great Environmental Shocks in History | How An Earthquake Splintered The World | 4
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Mar 24, 2026 A deep look at the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and how a colossal rupture produced devastating tsunamis. Exploration of Fukushima’s nuclear crisis and the heroic efforts to stabilize reactors. Examination of how the disaster rewired global energy politics, prompting German nuclear shutdowns and new dependence on Russian gas. Reflection on how engineering and geopolitics are vulnerable to sudden geological shocks.
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Centuries Of Strain Produced A Mega Thrust Rupture
- Japan's subduction zone stores centuries of elastic strain that can release in a single massive rupture.
- The 2011 quake displaced the Pacific Plate ~50 metres over a 500 km fault, producing six minutes of shaking and massive seafloor uplift.
Afua Hirsch's First Earthquake On The 30th Floor
- Afua Hirsch recounts her first earthquake experience in Los Angeles on the 30th floor of a high-rise.
- The building gently swayed, elevators failed for days and her family was inexperienced in quake response.
How Vertical Slip Turned Into Monster Tsunami Waves
- Vertical seafloor displacement creates tsunamis by lifting an entire column of water which then radiates long-wavelength waves at jetliner speeds.
- Nearshore shallowing and funneling bays amplified waves to over 30–40 metres, overtopping sea walls and reaching 10 km inland in places like Sendai.