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The plate boundary off the coast of Japan.

The edge of the continental plate slipped back toward the ocean during the earthquake, causing a tsunami. GPS stations (small gray circles) measured the land motion.

High-frequency waves radiated from regions at the deep end of the slip zone, close to the shore.

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Credit: Tectonics Observatory, California Institute of Technology; Tim Pyle, IPAC, California Institute of Technology


Tectonics Observatory :: California Institute of Technology
Last updated: October 19, 2011 :: Contact Us