TSUNAMIGENIC SOURCE MECHANISM AND EFFICIENCY OF THE MARCH 11, 2011 SANRIKU EARTHQUAKE IN JAPAN

ISSN 8755-6839 SCIENCE OF TSUNAMI HAZARDS Journal of Tsunami Society International Volume 30 Number 2 2011 TSUNAMIGENIC SOURCE MECHANISM AND EFFICIENCY OF THE MARCH 11, 2011 SANRIKU EARTHQUAKE IN JAPAN George Pararas-Carayannis Tsunami Society International, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA ABSTRACT The great Tohoku earthquake of March 11, 2011 generated a very destructive and anomalously high tsunami. To understand its source mechanism, an examination was undertaken of the seismotectonics of the region and of the earthquake’ focal mechanism, energy release, rupture patterns and spatial and temporal sequencing and clustering of major aftershocks. It was determined that the great tsunami resulted from a combination of crustal deformations of the ocean floor due to up-thrust tectonic motions, augmented by additional uplift due to the quake’s slow and long rupturing process, as well as to large coseismic lateral movements which compressed and deformed the compacted sediments along the accretionary prism of the overriding plane. The deformation occurred randomly and non-uniformly along parallel normal faults and along oblique, en-echelon faults to the earthquake’s overall rupture direction – the latter failing in a sequential bookshelf manner with variable slip angles. As the 1992 Nicaragua and the 2004 Sumatra earthquakes demonstrated, such bookshelf failures of sedimentary layers could contribute to anomalously high tsunamis. As with the 1896 tsunami, additional ocean floor deformation and uplift of the sediments was responsible for the higher waves generated by the 2011 earthquake. The efficiency of tsunami generation was greater along the shallow eastern segment of the fault off the Miyagi Prefecture where most of the energy release of the earthquake and the deformations occurred, while the segment off the Ibaraki Prefecture – where the rupture process was rapid – released less seismic energy, resulted in less compaction and deformation of sedimentary layers and thus to a tsunami of lesser offshore height. The greater tsunamigenic efficiency of the 2011 earthquake and high degree of the tsunami’s destructiveness Science of Tsunami Hazards, Vol. 30, No. 2, page 126 (2011) along Honshu’s coastlines resulted from vertical crustal displacements of more than 10 meters due to up-thrust faulting and from lateral compression and folding of sedimentary layers in an east-southeast direction which contributed additional uplift estimated about 7 meters - mainly along the leading segment of the accretionary prism of the overriding tectonic plate. Keywords - Japan; Honshu; Sanriku; earthquake; seismotectonics; tsunami; source-mechanism; tsunamigenic efficiency; Japan Trench. I. INTRODUCTION The most powerful earthquake in Japan in recent years occurred on March 11, 2011 off the coast of Sanriku (which includes the Aomori, Iwate, and Miyagi prefectures) (Fig. 1). It was one of five great earthquakes in the world since 1900. It generated a Pacific-wide, tsunami, which was particularly devastating and anomalously high along the northeast coast of Honshu. Warnings were issued for more than 20 countries and Pacific islands. Fig. 1. Epicenter of the March 11, 2011 Earthquake; Tsunami Generating Area; Major Basins and Trenches In Japan, both the earthquake and the tsunami caused extensive and severe damage to roads and railways, ignited fires and triggered a dam collapse. Many electrical generators were taken down. Most of the destruction and deaths in Japan were caused by the tsunami. As of April 18, 2011 the Science of Tsunami Hazards, Vol. 30, No. 2, page 127 (2011) death toll in Japan had risen to 13,843, another 14,030 people remained missing and another 136,481 were displaced (Japan's National Police Agency). The disaster left about 4.4 million homes in northeastern Japan without electricity and 1.4 million without water. There were power outages for about 4 million homes in Tokyo and the surrounding areas. Early estimates indicated that the monetary losses would exceed $100 billion. To understand the tsunami’s generation mechanism and the cause of the extreme wave heights along northeast Honshu, an investigation was undertaken of the seismotectonics of the region and of the earthquake’s focal mechanism, rupture patterns and spatial and temporal sequencing and clustering of major aftershocks – the latter defining the limits of crustal displacements and the amount of energy release. Evaluation of the tsunamigenic efficiency includes a review of the combined earthquake rupturing impact on both the subducting oceanic lithosphere and on the overriding plate, as well as examination of other large vertical and lateral displacements that contributed to the tsunami’s anomalous height. Additionally evaluated are the temporal elastic deformations caused by faulting and the collateral impact of lateral compression on the sediments on the accretionary wedge near the trench axis. Finally, the 2011 tsunami source mechanism is compared with those of previous destructive events in 1896 and 1933 for the purpose of evaluating similarities of factors that contributed to the enhancement of the tsunami’s height and destructiveness. 2. THE EARTHQUAKE AND THE TSUNAMI 2.1 The Earthquake The March 11, 2011 earthquake occurred at 05:46 UTC, 14:46 JST (local time). The quake epicenter was at 37.68N; 143.03E (USGS) was about 373 kilometers (231 miles) away from Tokyo, about 130 kms (81 mi) off the east coast of Oshika Peninsula and about 150 km west of the tectonic boundary of the Eurasian and Pacific plates, characterized by the Japan Trench (Fig. 1). Strong ground motions were felt as far away as Tokyo. The Moment Magnitude was initially estimated at Mw=8.9 (USGS) but later revised upward to Mw=9.0. However, based on long period surface waves (ranging from 166 to 333 seconds), the total seismic moment was recalculated to be about 5.6x10^22 Nm, corresponding to a moment magnitude of 9.1 - almost as much as that of the 2004 Sumatra earthquake (Mw 9.15). The focal depth was 15.2 miles (24.4 kms) (USGS). Focal mechanism analysis indicated a low angle nodal plane with a strike of 1990, a dip angle of 100 and a slip angle of 920 (Shao et al., 2011). 2.2 The Tsunami 2.2.1 Near and Far Field Tsunami Impact The near and far field effects of the tsunami and the quantitative runup heights have been reported in the literature and in preliminary Internet summaries (Pararas-Carayannis, 2011). Science of Tsunami Hazards, Vol. 30, No. 2, page 128 (2011) Near-Field Effects - Waves began striking the shores of Sanriku a few minutes after the quake. The impact was particularly devastating along coastal areas of northeastern coastal areas of Honshu, where the irregular coastline and numerous bays amplified the tsunami height and its destructiveness. Hardest hit was the Miyagi Prefecture (Fig. 2). In some areas the waves inundated as far as 10 kms (6 miles) inland. Further south, at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plan (...truncated)