An Earthquake Report - Assignment Example

your first & (teacher’s 19 February Eastern Japan in March On March 11, at 2:46 p.m., an earthquake with a magnitude of 9.0 hit close to the east coast of Honshu, Japan. The country lost about $309 billion economically from the earthquake and the resulting tsunami. More than 150,000 people were dead, missing, injured or displaced. The earthquake was triggered by “thrust faulting on or near the subduction plate boundary between the Pacific and North America plates (USGS).” The tsunami that followed was almost 30 meters high which caused water to rush in for about 5 km. inland. (United) Models of the earthquake showed the fault rose 30-40 meters and moved about “300 km long (along-strike) b 150 km wide (in the down-dip direction) (USGS)”.

Because the coast was just above the lower edge of the rupture area along the interplate boundary, it moved towards the east up to 4 meters while the coastline went lower by about 0.5 meters. (USGS) Media coverage of the catastrophe showed the damage which included cars being washed away, fires, infrastructure being destroyed and a leak from an atomic power plant in the area. I can only imagine how it is like to feel an earthquake. In my opinion, the media coverage on this particular earthquake was quite accurate.

Although the only technical data most media companies had shared was the magnitude of the earthquake, how great the extent of the damage was and where the tremor originated, the numbers together with the footage were enough for me to understand the significance of this disaster for Japan. The words used in the reports appropriately described the effects of the earthquake and tsunami. The photos and videos shown were actual circumstances which told the truth to audiences who would not have time to read the article.

References:The CNN Wire Staff. “Widespread destruction from Japan earthquake, tsunamis.” CNN International. Cable News Network, 12 March 2011. Web. 18 February 2013. United Nations Environment Programme. United Nations Environment Programme. n.d. Web. 18 February 2013.USGS. U.S. Department of the Interior & U.S. Geological Society, 17 February 2013. Web. 18 February 2013.