Earthquake that struck Japan in 2011 caused waves even in Norway

When an earthquake occurs, the most affected areas are those located near the epicenter, although tremors are also felt elsewhere and can even be detected at very distant points from their origin. This is because the energy released during these events travels across the earth, causing it to behave like a resonating bell.

And of course, the more powerful the earthquake, the greater this “vibration” will be, and the earthquake that hit Japan in 2011 was quite powerful, reaching magnitude 9.0 on the Richter Scale! So many witnesses witnessed - and even recorded on video - waves forming in the Norwegian fjords just 30 minutes after the great earthquake. And that's over 8, 000 kilometers from the epicenter site!

Disturbed calm

Image Source: pixabay

According to the site ars technica, waves of more than 1.5 meters have been recorded in this region, known for the extreme beauty and calm of its waters. The observed formations are known as seichhas, and usually occur in confined waters such as lakes and estuaries, for example. These waves are usually caused by wind action and, as was the case in the fjords, by the energy released by an earthquake.

This energy can travel from the epicenter radially - or body waves - across the earth or laterally along the surface. And although radial waves propagate more rapidly, surface waves cause the most violent tremors, especially in regions farther from the epicenter.

Waves

Image Source: pixabay

To understand what happened in Norway, a team of researchers replicated the same conditions during some computer simulations. They found that the waves detected in the fjords were actually caused by body waves - not surface waves - which generated transverse waves with a whip-like displacement direction.

However, although these waves caused minor tremors, the seychelles were formed due to the low frequency with which the waves propagated throughout the region, combined with the time it took for these waves to travel across the fjord and the specific direction from which the waves formed. waves departed from Japan.

Thus, despite the absurd distance between the two countries, the seismic waves probably traveled faster than the very news about the huge earthquake that hit and caused so much destruction in Japan.