Living on the Ring of Fire

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/09/Pacific_Ring_of_Fire.png

The “Ring of Fire” is caused by

movement along the edges of

tectonic plates. Three different plates meet in

Japan.

http://www.gdrc.org/oceans/un-seahorse/images/jishin.gif

One major type of disaster Japan deals with the

earthquake.

http://www.ritoru.net/Resources/quake2.jpg

http://wwwimage.cbsnews.com/images/2009/08/09/image5227835g.jpg

http://www.abc.net.au/reslib/200707/r160671_587910.jpg

Japanese architects have worked hard to design earthquake-resistant

buildings. But earthquakes will always be destructive, even when they don’t

cause death.

http://www.gettyimages.com/detail/sb10063389g-001/Reportage

Schools in Japan have regular earthquake drills.

http://i.telegraph.co.uk/telegraph/multimedia/archive/01472/earthquake-drill_1472634i.jpghttp://cache.daylife.com/imageserve/01EbeAc8yUb2J/610x.jpg

Since earthquakes cannot yet be predicted, they can only prepare and

hope to save lives and property.

http://www.twelvebar.com/astorytotell/uploaded_images/Elmo-798613.JPG

Japan also has 186 volcanoes, and a third of

them are active volcanoes.

http://virgil.org/dswo/fs/japantour/shared/japan-volcanoes.gif

Mt. Fuji, a beautiful mountain right outside of Tokyo, is a volcano. It is a

threat to the people of Tokyo.

http://wallpaper-s.org/63__Cherry_Blossoms_And_Mount_Fuji,_Japan.htm

Kagoshima is built right by an active volcano. Children are required to wear

helmets to and from school.

http://www.asianinfo.org/asianinfo/japan/pictures/volcano_sakurajima_kagoshima.jpg http://images.travelpod.com/users/jo-jo/nagoya.1101866880.update_040.jpg

And, of course, some kids don’t exactly follow the

rules.

https://farm7.staticflickr.com/6075/6085099336_654ace353a_z.jpg

http://sumojoesays.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Austronesian-Expeditions-Kagoshima-Kids-300x214.jpg

500 eruptions in 2013!

Sometimes you need more than just a

helmet. Therefore, there are “volcano shelters” around

Kagoshima.http://mw2.google.com/mw-panoramio/photos/medium/57026634.jpg

http://mw2.google.com/mw-panoramio/photos/medium/56947873.jpg

Volcanic eruptions can be predicted and people can be evacuated, but the

damage to homes, businesses, and entire cities cannot be stopped.

http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/volcano/gifs/volcanodiagram.GIF

Tsunamis have hit Japan in the past, and will hit it again.

http://serc.carleton.edu/images/NAGTWorkshops/visualization/collections/japan1960.jpg http://www.nws.noaa.gov/om/brochures/images/ts-p5mve.jpg

http://fohn.net/biggest-tsunami/1703-awa-japan.jpg

Tsunamis usually are caused by under-ocean earthquakes.

http://www.cnsm.csulb.edu/departments/geology/people/bperry/Geol303photos/waves/TsunamiDiagramEWNZ.jpg

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They can also be caused by under-ocean volcanoes.

But this is not common.

http://sciencefun.today.com/files/2009/03/pacific-volcano.jpg

Tsunami escape routes are posted in Japan, guiding people to higher

ground.

http://www.astoncrisis.com/crisiscms/images/shizuoka_evacuation_sign.jpg http://image24.webshots.com/25/9/64/60/49296460XkyDFi_ph.jpg

http://scripps.ucsd.edu/japan/journal/0719/images/photo2.jpg

Japanese learn at a young age how to evacuate to higher safety.

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Tsunami towers and tsunami shelter buildings are also used.

http://www.fj-i.co.jp/tsunami_tower_english.img/st11.jpg http://www.rotarysamui.org/rotary/images/stories/tsunami/watertower/Water%20Tower_08.jpg

In the 2011 tsunami, these structures saved lives.

http://nimg.sulekha.com/others/original700/japan-earthquake-2011-3-28-19-30-8.jpg http://news.opb.org/media/uploads/images/articles/040711_tsunami3_big.jpg

The Pacific Ocean also has a warning system for tsunamis. This system warns when a tsunami first forms.

http://www.fig.net/pub/figpub/pub38/figure_8.jpg

http://www.sialnews.com/images/2011/10/Indian-Oceans-tsunami-alert-system-test-on-12th-October-

2011.jpg

When a huge tsunami hit in the Indian Ocean in 2004, they had NO tsunami

early warning system.

http://www.groundviews.org/wp-content/uploads/Countries-affected-by-2004-Dec-tsunami-graphic-courtesy-BBC.gif

People didn’t know the tsunami was coming until it was too late.

http://www.miadhu.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/2004-tsunami.jpg

When a huge under-ocean earthquake

happens, ocean water actually pulls

back from the shore. These

tourists wanted to see what was out

there, and got caught in the Indian

Ocean tsunami.

http://geol105naturalhazards.voices.wooster.edu/files/2011/03/tsunami_wave_coming_time_to_run.jpg

http://geol105naturalhazards.voices.wooster.edu/files/2011/03/tsunami_wave_coming_too_late_to_run.jpg

Since that disaster, a tsunami warning system has been installed in the Indian

Ocean.

http://www.khaolak.net/images/iotws.jpghttp://www.khaolak.net/images/thailand-tsunami-

detection-buoy.jpg

Japan has always had to deal with natural disasters from tectonic plate

movement. Their best hope is to educate people and to be prepared.

http://www.bugbog.com/images/maps/japan-map.jpg