Hazard Photos Home | View Thumbnails |
Hokkaido Nansei-Oki Tsunami, July 12, 1993 |
On July 12, 1993, a magnitude 7.8 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. |
Tsunami and fire damage SE Okushiri Is.
| ||
Tsunami damage at Aonae, Okushiri Is.
| ||
Clock at Aonae showing arrival time of wave
| ||
Scattered debris at Aonae, Okushiri Is.
| ||
Beached fishing boat at Aonae, Okushiri Is.
| ||
View to north of damage to prosperous tourist area at Aonae, Okushiri Is.
| ||
View to south of above area
| ||
Debris scattered near harbor at Aonae, Okushiri Is.
| ||
Small fishing boats deposited near harbor at Aonae
| ||
Clock half burried in sand shows travel time of twenty minutes
| ||
Large barge that was moved 75 m by waves
| ||
Fishing boat deposited on concrete shore protection barrier, Aonae
| ||
A small valley on the west side of Okushiri Is.
| ||
Damage at Monai, west Okushiri Is.
| ||
Debris Line at Monai, West Okushiri Is.
| ||
Debris on highway overpass near Monai, Okushiri Is.
| ||
Debris in overhead utility wires on west Okushiri Is.
| ||
Vegetation stripped from hillside, west Okushiri Is.
| ||
Waves overtopped roadway, west Okushiri Is.
| ||