What Really Caused the Japan Quake

I really adore my Geography teachers in high school because the knowledge they have pumped into me at that time has proven more than valuable for I couldn’t have written this article had I studied history then. My decision was first time passion as I was concurrently learning Geography in both Madarastu Omar Al-faruq and Mandera Secondary School. My credit goes to Sheikh Abdirahman, principal of Madarasatu Omar Al-faruq and Sheikh Abdi, senior teacher at Mandera Secondary School
An 8.9-magnitude earthquake struck the coast of Japan on Friday at a depth of about 17 miles below the earth’s surface. Dozens of aftershocks, some of magnitude 6.0 or greater, were felt after the quake.
In the area known as the Japan Trench, the Pacific Plate usually moves towards the west about three quarter inches a year. The earthquake occurred where the Pacific tectonic plate was thrust under the North American plate. It is interesting to note that Northern Japan sits on the west tip of the North American Plate.
The earthquake then was as a result of thrust faulting (shifting plates), a violent movement of the Pacific plate compressing beneath the North American plate forcing it upward.
 The upward movement of the North American plate released large amounts of energy and displaced vast amount of ocean water causing a deadly tsunami. This energy emanates from the epicenter. Waves in the deep ocean have the potential of traveling more than 500 miles an hour.
When the tsunami nears land, the shallower water causes the wavelength to decrease. The waves push inland because so much water and energy has built up behind them. Wave heights reached more than 20 feet along the coast of Japan and tsunami warnings were issued as far as the west coast of the United States and South America. Tweet