Science & Technology

Seismic waves from big earthquake may have literally moved Japan

By T.K. Randall
June 19, 2026

Image: Earthquake Crack in the Road
Credit: hanonimas / CC BY-SA 3.0 (adapted) Back in 2011, a magnitude 9.0 earthquake struck off the coast of Japan - the most powerful ever recorded in the country and the fourth most powerful recorded anywhere in the world.

The earthquake - and in particular the ensuing tsunami - caused widespread damage and killed around 20,000 people while leaving hundreds of thousands more homeless.

It was also responsible for the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster.

Now, a new analysis of data from the earthquake has revealed that some of the seismic waves it produced actually bounced off the Earth's core and caused parts of Japan to move.GPS observations indicate that some parts of the country shifted by 5 - 6 mm.

One of the seismic waves was found to have traveled 2,900 kilometers to the border between the planet's mantle and liquid outer core before bouncing back.

The fact that these waves were actually able to physically nudge Japan itself is a phenomenon that scientists had never identified before.

"The observation underscores the importance of accounting for this previously unrecognized source of seismic hazard from potential (re)activation of the mainshock area and surrounding region, even tens of minutes after the mainshock," the study authors wrote.

Source: Science Alert

Tags: Japan, Earthquake