Hokkaido Nansei-Oki Tsunami, July 12, 1993
Entry ID:
gov.noaa.ngdc.G01220
|
Summary
ABSTRACT: An earthquake occurred off the west coast of Hokkaido and the small offshore
island of Okushiri in the Sea of Japan. In two to five minutes the tsunami, one of the largest
in Japan's history, engulfed the coastline of Okushiri Island and the central west coast of
Hokkaido. Almost two hundred fatalities were associated with the event, with more ... than half
attributed to the tsunami. The $600 million in property losses were attributed primarily to
the tsunami. This tsunami caused spectacular localized damage, especially on the southwestern
shores of Hokkaido and on Okushiri Island. This slide set shows damage to ships, dwellings,
and businesses, and unique views of clocks stopped in time by the tsunami.On July 12, 1993, at
22:17 local time (13:17 GMT), a magnitude 7.8 earthquake occurred off the west coast of
Hokkaido and the small offshore island of Okushiri in the Sea of Japan (42' 47'N, 139' 12'W).
In two to five minutes the tsunami engulfed the coastline of Okushiri Island and the central
west coast of Hokkaido. Almost two hundred fatalities were associated with the event, with
more than half attributed to the tsunami. The death toll on Okushiri Island was 165. The $600
million in property losses were attributed primarily to the tsunami. This 1993 earthquake
filled a previously identified seismic gap. This tsunami caused spectacular localized damage,
especially on the southwestern shores of Hokkaido and on Okushiri Island.West Coast of
Okushiri Island: This area experienced the highest runup measurements. All twelve houses in
the village of Monai were destroyed, killing 10 persons. Runup measurements around the village
were 20 m and in a small valley north of Monai on the southwest coast the runup was measured
at 31 m, the maximum for this event. South of Monai, tsunami runups along the coast ranged
from 15 to 20 m. Vegetation was stripped off the hillside, and large boulders up to one-meter
in diameter were deposited on the flooded vegetation. These data suggest that the initial wave
arrived from west of Okushiri Island.Southern Coast of Okushiri Island: The tsunami was
refracted by the shoaling bathymetry at both ends of the island. The town of Aonae (population
1,600) at the southern tip of Okushiri was hardest hit.About four to five minutes after the
main earthquake shock, the first tsunami wave arrived, flooding the southern tip of the island
and the entire first row of houses nearest the coast. Two fires started on the damaged fishing
vessels after this first wave. The tsunami appeared to arrive from the northeast, with
flooding of between three and seven meters throughout the town.About seven minutes after the
first wave, a second, larger wave hit from the east carrying the burning boats into the main
town. The second wave advanced further ashore than the first and completely flooded the first
three rows of houses with a runup of between five and ten meters throughout the town.The
combination of a strong, northeast wind, the burning boats, and an ample supply of heating
propane and kerosene spread the fire quickly and destroyed 340 homes. However, only two of the
114 deaths in Aonae were caused by fire. The houses in the central part of Aonae were flooded
by tsunami waves that ran up to a height of five meters. Further from the shore the structures
were destroyed by fire. The tsunami destroyed a portion of the sea wall, and fishing boats
were left "high and dry" in the inundation zone.Northern and Eastern Coasts of Okushiri: At
Inaho, on the northern point of Okushiri Island, 13 people were killed and all houses were
destroyed by the 10-m waves. The eastern side of Okushiri Island appeared to be sheltered from
the waves, and the measured tsunami runup was between two and five meters.Hokkaido: Severe
damage was caused by the earthquake and accompanying fires, landslides, and the tsunami on
southwestern Hokkaido-540 houses were destroyed and 1,834 others were damaged. The tsunami
also hit the Island of Hokkaido, arriving at Ota Bay within five minutes of the main shock and
destroying five homes. Runup in this area was nine meters. Damage also occurred at Setana from
the six meter waves. The coastline from Suttsu to south of Ota Bay was hardest hit with runup
values of five to nine meters. Outside this area, the tsunami intensity tapered off rapidly,
and runup values were below five meters.Other Areas: After 90 minutes, the tsunami struck the
coast of the Republic of Korea, where a maximum tsunami runup of two meters was recorded. One
person on a fishing boat was killed near Aomori, Honshu. A runup of nearly one meter was
recorded there. Three people from the southeast coast of Russia were missing after the
tsunami. The tsunami affected much of the southeastern coast of Russia and also caused damage
to a factory at Kamenka, Sakhalin Island.The tsunami traveled to Russia within 30 minutes,
causing runups of one to four meters. Damage estimates were over $6 million (U.S. Dollars).
Approximately 700 fishing boats were damaged or lost off western Japan, southeastern Russia,
the Republic of Korea, and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. PURPOSE: Make available
Damage Photos for research and education CURRENTNESS REFERENCE: Publication Date
Fees: $25.00 plus handling and shipping outside the USA None $145/$195 plus handling and shipping
outside the USA
Geographic Coverage
Spatial coordinates
| N: 42.1 |
|
S: 42.1 |
|
E: 139.31 |
|
W: 139.31 |
Data Set Citation
Dataset Creator:
DOC/NOAA/NESDIS/NGDC > National Geophysical Data Center, NESDIS, NOAA, U.S. Department of Commerce (comp)
Dataset Title:
Hokkaido Nansei-Oki Tsunami, July 12, 1993
Dataset Release Date:
1994
Dataset Release Place:
Boulder, CO
Dataset Publisher:
National Geophysical Data Center
Version:
First
Online Resource:
http://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/hazard/
|
Temporal Coverage
Start Date:
1993-07-12
Stop Date:
1993-07-31
|
Location Keywords
Science Keywords
ISO Topic Category
Project
Access Constraints
ACCESS CONSTRAINTS: None DISTRIBUTION LIABILITY: While every effort has been
made to ensure that these data are accurate and reliable within the limits of the current
state of the art, NOAA cannot assume liability for any damages caused by any errors or
omissions in the data, nor as a result of the failure of the data to function on a particular
system. NOAA makes no warranty, expressed or implied, nor does the fact of distribution
constitute such a warranty. CUSTOM ORDER PROCESS: Contact Data Center
Use Constraints
None
Ancillary Keywords
Data Set Progress
Data Center
Distribution
Distribution Size:
28440.0
Distribution Format:
TIFF
Fees:
Please See Summary
Distribution Format:
TIFF
Fees:
Please See Summary
|
Personnel
JOY
IKELMAN
Role:
TECHNICAL CONTACT
Phone:
303-497-6419
Fax:
303-497-6513
Email:
Joy.A.Ikelman at noaa.gov
Contact Address:
NOAA/NESDIS/NGDC
Mail Code E/GC4
325 Broadway
City:
Boulder
Province or State:
CO
Postal Code:
80303
Country:
USA
KELLY
STROKER
Role:
DIF AUTHOR
Phone:
(303) 497-4603
Fax:
(303) 497-6513
Email:
kelly.stroker at noaa.gov
Contact Address:
NOAA/NESDIS/NGDC E/GC1 325 Broadway
City:
Boulder
Province or State:
CO
Postal Code:
80305-3328
Country:
USA
|
Related URL
Link:
GET DATA
Description:
View all slides in this slide set
|
Creation and Review Dates
DIF Creation Date:
2008-01-29
Last DIF Revision Date:
2008-04-14
|
|
Links
