On March 11, 2011 at 2:46 p.m. Japanese time, a magnitude 8.9 earthquake occurred, but was later upgraded to a magnitude 9.0 earthquake, which occurred at 231 miles northeast of Tokyo, Japan, at a depth of 15.2 miles. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center sends a warning across the Pacific Ocean from Japan to the United States of America. About an hour later, after the earthquake, the waves hit. The waves reached 30 feet high when they hit the Japanese coast. The waves caused widespread damage, sweeping away cars like they were sticks, collapsing buildings and destroying roads and highways. This tsunami cost the Japanese government 25 trillion yen ($300 billion) in dollars. The earthquake occurred due to thrust faults on or around the interface plate boundary of the subduction zone between the Pacific and North American plates. According to scientists who observed this catastrophe, Japan moved 2.4 meters eastward towards North America. The earthquake also caused the earth to shift 4 to 6.5 inches (10 to 16 cm) on its axis. This earthquake caused the tsunami because when the earthquake occurred, it suddenly moved the seafloor in a vertical motion, which moved the water column above it. This process triggered a series of giant waves called a tsunami. For the Japanese government, this was the worst thing that could happen to it, as it lost many citizens but also financially. This affected not only the Japanese government with damage costs, but also manufacturing companies, export companies and insurance companies. Claims from insurance companies run into the billions. Manufacturing activity was suspended as well as car exports. On March 12, 2011, that night, a 6.2 m aftershock...... middle of paper ...... occurred at reactor three, causing a wall to collapse, which injured six. There are 600 residents left within a 30 km radius and they are being told to stay at home. The number 2 reactors are losing their cooling capabilities and workers are working frantically to pump seawater into the reactor. They did this for the plant's other two reactors, which means workers are rushing to try to cool the fuel rods in reactors number 1 and number 2. As the graph below shows, the tsunami and the earthquake caused considerable damage. not only around the Japan region, but also across the Pacific Ocean. The Japanese government estimates that the tsunami carried around 5 million tons of debris offshore. 70% sank, leaving approximately 1.5 million tons of debris floating in the Pacific Ocean. The death toll from this horrific disaster is 15,884, most recently updated in February. 10, 2014.