On March 11, an earthquake and tsunami struck Japan, devastating the region.
- The U.S. Geological survey reports the magnitude to be 9.0, making it the most powerful earthquake to ever hit Japan.
- The earthquake shortened the day by 1.8 microseconds, shifted the earth’s axis by about 6.5 inches, and moved Japan’s tectonic plate about 13 feet.
- In spite of the Tokyo Electric Power Company’s claim of having a “safe and durable reactor,” the tsunami damaged four of the six nuclear reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, causing an explosion in the Fukushima I plant.
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