The Day the Ocean Moved

The footage of Japan's ongoing catastrophe is beginning to collect on the internet, and the situation is horrific. The 9.0 magnitude earthquake lasted several minutes, and trigged massive tsunamis which traveled 10 km (6 mi) inland in some areas. Despite Japan's rigorous seismic building standards and earthquake preparedness, destruction has been widespread and devastation.

Here are satellite images showing before and after views of the scene on the ground in some of the hardest hit areas of North Eastern Japan

Ishinomaki (Point A)

Natori (Point B)

Sendai (Point C)

Arahama

Thanks to the New York Times for the excellent article.

According to CNN, the quake moved Japan's coast up to 8 feet, and caused earth's axis to shift approximately 10 cm. The power of this earthquake is hard to fully comprehend.

Imagery of Tsunami in progress