Aerial Photos Before And After 2011 Earthquake And Tsunami, Japan

Energy
This earthquake released a surface energy (Me) of 1.9±0.5×1017 joules, dissipated as shaking and tsunamic energy, which is nearly double that of the 9.1-magnitude 2004 Sumatran earthquake that killed 230,000 people. The total energy released (Mw) was calculated by the USGS WPhase Moment Solution at 3.9×1022 joules, slightly less than the 2004 Sumatra quake. The total energy released underground was some 205,000 times that on the surface. "If we could only harness the energy from this earthquake, it would power a city the size of Los Angeles for an entire year", USGS director Marcia McNutt said in an interview.