WIRED ScienceWhy Japan’s 6.9 Quake Wasn’t 2011 All Over Again
Sequels rarely live up to the original. And thank goodness for that. Yesterday, a 6.9 earthquake shook the coast of Japan almost exactly where a 9.1 quake hit nearly 6 years ago. Japan is fortified against quakes and tsunamis. But the 2011 quake was so powerful it generated 30 to 60-foot tsunamis, overtopping the island nation's extensive sea walls and shore protections, killing over 15,000, leaving 228,000 homeless, and causing a meltdown at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.
