The document summarizes the massive devastation caused by Japan's 2011 earthquake and tsunami. It was Japan's most powerful earthquake, registering a magnitude 9.0. The earthquake triggered tsunami waves up to 33 feet tall that struck Japan and smaller waves in other countries. Despite some warning, a major tsunami hit Japan within minutes, leaving many people unable to escape. The earthquake's strength shifted the Earth's axis by nearly 10 inches and altered the planet's rotation speed and the length of a day.

1. Devastation due to Japan's Earthquake and Tsunami These are horrific pictures of the massive devastation due to Japan's Earthquake and Tsunami. This was Japan's most powerful earthquake to date and in the top 4 worldwide. The earthquake created tsunami waves of up to 10 meters (33 ft) that struck Japan, with smaller waves in many other countries.

3. The earthquake occurred in the western Pacific Ocean, 130 km (81 mi) east of Sendai, Honshu, Japan. Its epicenter was 373 km (232 mi) from Tokyo, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS/fotn.in). Multiple aftershocks were reported after the initial magnitude 9.0 quake at 14:46 local time.

6. Unlike other countries which had many hours' notice of a relatively small surge, a major tsunami struck Japan with only minutes' warning, leaving many people unable to escape

12. According to Italy's National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology, the earthquake's enormous strength shifted the Earth's axis by 25 centimeters (9.8 in). This deviation led a number of small changes, including those to the length of a day and the tilt of the Earth. The speed of the Earth's rotation increased, shortening the day by 1.6 microseconds due to the redistribution of Earth's mass.

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