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Slippery Clay Reveals Earthquake Secrets | Science News
A shocking discovery of a slippery clay layer deep beneath the Japan Trench has rewritten scientists’ understanding of the 2011 earthquake and tsunami. This hundred-foot-thick weak zone allowed the fault to rupture all the way to the seafloor, shifting the ocean floor up to 200 feet in just six minutes — triggering a catastrophic tsunami. Stretching hundreds of miles along the trench, this hidden vulnerability suggests Japan and similar regions may be more at risk for massive, shallow quakes than previously thought. With this new insight, experts hope to improve disaster forecasting…
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