Fault behind the disaster

In this area,called the Japan Trench,the Pacific plate usually moves westward about three and a quarter inches every year.

In this area,called the Japan Trench,the Pacific plate usually moves westward about three and a quarter inches every year. The quake was a result of thrust faulting,a violent movement of the Pacific plate compressing under the North American plate,forcing it upward. The upward movement of the plate released large a amount of energy and displaced water causing the tsunami.

Tsunamis prompted thousands to flee the Pacific coast of North and South America and caused flooding as far away as Chile on Saturday,but damage was limited. The Japan tsunami lost much of its energy as it moved thousands of miles across Pacific Ocean. Waves were relatively benign as they rolled into the Americas,causing only isolated flooding. Strong waves hit Chile. Ecuadors Galapagos Islands,a wildlife sanctuary,suffered some damage,and several harbours in California were hit. Peru,which evacuated thousands,was largely unaffected.

Infrastructure

An overturned car in Miyako City,Iwate Prefecture,Japan; Thousands of homes were destroyed,roads were impassable,trains and buses were not running,and power and cellphones remained down. The JR rail company said three trains were missing in two northern prefectures. Many residents set off on epic journeys home. Even some 18 hours after the quake,thousands of people in dark suits were still trudging home from the central business district in Tokyo.

Environment

A man catches fish from the Pacific Ocean in city of Acapulco,Mexico; Masses of sardines,anchovies and mackerel surged close to shore Friday on this beach in an unprecedented development. They were packed so tightly near the surface they looked like an oil slick. Delighted fishermen,abandoning their rods,simply scooped fish. It was so much fun, fisherman Carlos Morales said. The fishermen attributed the phenomenon to currents unleashed by the tsunami.

People

People wait to be rescued atop a building in Kesennuma,Miyagi Prefecture; Many people were frantically searching for relatives. A tiny tourist and fishing community on the coastline is missing more than half its residents. About 9,500 residents are unaccounted for in Minamisanriku,located in Miyagi Prefecture. Rescuers found 870 people in one elementary school Saturday. There was no electricity and no water for people in shelters.

Industry

Cargo containers pile up on each other in Sendai,Japan; The fact that the disaster hit far from Japans industrial heartland softens the economic blow. The epicentre was in and around the coastal city of Sendai,well north of Japans primary manufacturing region running from Nagoya to Osaka and farther south and west. Japan is a major exporter of cars,consumer electronics goods. Some factories were shut down temporarily.