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The Times of India
The Times of India
World
TOI World Desk

Japan’s 2011 tsunami turned out deadlier because a hidden clay layer let the quake rupture all the way to the seafloor, scientists say

Japan Ocean Earth the Pacific Ocean

Scientists have uncovered a hidden geological feature beneath the Pacific Ocean that helps explain why Japan’s devastating 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami became one of the deadliest natural disasters in modern history. According to a new study, a thin layer of exceptionally weak, clay-rich sediment beneath the Japan Trench allowed the earthquake rupture to travel all the way to the seafloor, triggering an unusually large vertical displacement that amplified the tsunami.

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