Tsunami Pictures: Epic Waves, Earthquake Shock Japan

Earthquake Evacuees

Photograph from Kyodo/Reuters

Evacuees console one another in Tokyo's Shinjuku Central Park on March 11 after the magnitude 8.9 earthquake in Japan.

Although miles from the epicenter, Tokyo felt the effects of the earthquake and its aftershocks as buildings swayed, train cars rocked, and windows rattled, according to BBC News. Residents and office workers poured out of buildings in Japan's capital city and gathered in open spaces. (Related: "Earthquake Fault Under Tokyo Closer Than Expected, Study Finds.")

The earthquake prompted officials to suspend Tokyo's rapid transit system, stranding many people in the city center, the BBC reported. About four million homes in the Tokyo area are without power.

(Related: "Tsunami Facts in Wake of Japan Earthquake.")

Published March 11, 2011

Quake Collapse

Photograph by Fukushima Minpo, AFP/Getty Images

People examine a house damaged by a collapsed roadway in Sukagawa City on March 11 after Japan's magnitude 8.9 earthquake.

Japan is part of the Pacific ring of fire, a geologically active region prone to earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. Still, Friday's powerful temblor caused widespread devastation on Japan's main island of Honshu. For instance, a petrochemical plant in Sendai suffered a large explosion and an oil refinery caught on fire in Ichihara City, the BBC reports.

In Fukushima Prefecture, a dam burst and a cooling system failed at a nuclear power plant. (Related: "Shaky Start for New Quake Alert System in Japan.")

Published March 11, 2011

Tsunami Swirls

Photograph from Kyodo/AP

Tsunami waves created a whirlpool off the coast of Oarai in Japan's Ibaraki Prefecture on March 11 following the magnitude 8.9 earthquake. (Video: Tsunami 101.)

Tsunami waters engulfed croplands and towns and swept away houses, cars, and ships along Japan's east coast. The huge waves—up to 33 feet (10 meters) high in places—reached as far as about 6 miles (10 kilometers) inland in Miyagi Prefecture, CNN reported.

According to Japan's Kyodo News, 200 to 300 bodies have been found in Miyagi's coastal city of Sendai, likely the hardest hit by the tsunami.

(Get the inside story of how nations rally to aid others after earthquakes, tsunamis, and other natural disasters.)

Published March 11, 2011

Higher Ground

Photograph from Yomiuri Shimbun/AP

People survey debris-filled waters on March 11 after tsunami waves engulfed coastal towns in Japan's Miyagi Prefecture.

Video footage from locations along Japan's east coast shows walls of water smashing ashore, often with large objects such as cars, boats, and even homes riding inland with the waves.

In Sendai, the tsunami wave "was mixed with mud, with ships and cars smashing toward wooden houses, dragging those into rice fields, and basically bashing them into pieces," a Bloomberg TV reporter said from the scene, according to the Christian Science Monitor.

(Related: "Did North American Quake Cause 1700 Japanese Tsunami?")

Published March 11, 2011

Japan Ablaze

Photograph from Kyodo/AP

A column of flames towers over Ichihara, Japan, on March 11 after the magnitude 8.9 earthquake triggered a fire at a petrochemical plant.

Elsewhere, the Japanese government ordered thousands of residents in Onahama City to evacuate after a cooling system failure at a nuclear power plant, according to the Associated Press.

No radiation leaks have been reported, but people were told to move at least two miles (three kilometers) away from the plant because the reactor core is still hot even after being shut down.

Published March 11, 2011

Three-Story Tsunami

Photograph from Kyodo/Reuters

A three-story tsunami obscures all but treetops as it roars into Natori, Japan, on Friday—about the same height as the largest waves seen during the Indian Ocean tsunami that killed hundreds of thousands in late 2004.

Tsunamis have been known to surge vertically as tall as 100 feet (30 meters). Most tsunamis cause the sea to rise no more than 10 feet (3 meters).

(More from National Geographic magazine: predicting the next giant earthquake.)

Published March 11, 2011

Japan Airport Aftermath

Photograph from Kyodo/AP

Tossed like toys, airplanes and automobiles litter debris piles at the airport in Sendai, Japan, after three-story waves struck the city on Friday. (Watch video of the tsunami creeping across Sendai's airport.)

Spawned by the magnitude 8.9 earthquake offshore, tsunami waves nearly completely inundated the runway. The airport, like others in Japan, is closed as of Friday midday, eastern time.

In general, travel to, from, and within Japan is highly compromised. The U.S. State Department announced early Friday that it "strongly urges U.S. citizens to avoid tourism and non-essential travel to Japan at this time.

"Tokyo airports are currently closed; other airports in Japan may be closed or have restricted access. Public transportation, including trains and subways are closed in the Tokyo area, and service has been interrupted in other areas. Many roads have been damaged in the Tokyo area and in northern Japan.

"Strong aftershocks," the State Department added, "are likely for weeks following a strong earthquake such as this one."

More Japan tsunami pictures: Nuclear reactor and cities burn >>

Published March 11, 2011