Lesson video

Hi, everyone, I'm Miss Reid, and welcome to another geography lesson on mountains, volcanoes and earthquakes.

Let's have a look at our lesson question for today.

So our lesson question for today is what happens when an earthquake occurs? Well, in this lesson, we're going to be looking at a case study, which means an example of an earthquake.

And we'll also have a look at what causes a tsunami.

So in today's lesson, you'll need an exercise book or a piece of paper, you'll need a pencil, and you'll need your brain.

Please take a moment now to also clear away any distractions, including turning off any notifications or apps or conversations that you have running if you know how to.

And finally, if you can, try to find a quiet place where you won't be disturbed during the lesson.

Pause the video now so you can get the things you need and find a quiet place.

Great, now you have everything you need, let's carry on.

So we are geographers, and geographers are types of scientists who study the Earth, and this includes the land, the physical features, and the people who live within it, the human features.

In this lesson, we're going to be looking at a case study.

We're going to be looking at the Tohoku earthquake.

We'll be thinking about the effects of the earthquake, and then we'll be questioning what causes a tsunami.

Now, on March the 11th 2011, Japan experienced the strongest earthquake in its recorded history.

So you can see on the map on the left hand side, if we zoom in, let's get my pointer.

This is where the earthquake occurred.

This is Japan.

And you can see on this map where Japan is located in relation to Asia.

Now, the earthquake struck below the North Pacific Ocean, 130 kilometres or 81 miles East of Sendai, the largest city in the Tohoku region, a Northern part of the Island of Honshu.

The Tohoku earthquake caused a tsunami.

Here's a question for you, in which country did the Tohoku earthquake occur? Shout it out.

Little bit louder.

That's right, it occurred in Japan, well done everywhere.

Now, as we already know, the earthquake occurred in Japan, which is in Asia.

It happened on the 11th of March 2011.

And on the Richter scale, it measured 9.

0, it was the largest earthquake in recorded history in Japan.

Here's a question for you, let's zoom in.

On which date did the earthquake occur in 2011? A, the 11th of January 2011.

B, the 11th of February 2011.

C, the 11th of March 2011.

D, the 11th of April 2011.

Pause the video and choose the answer that you think is correct.

Let's check the answer.

So the answer was the 11th of March 2011.

Pause the video now so you can tick or fix your answer.

Excellent, let's move on.

So, as we learnt in the last lesson, evacuation is when people are removed from a place of danger to a safer place.

When natural disasters such as an earthquake occurs, the government might decide that it's necessary to evacuate people for their own safety.

An evacuation is similar to what happens at school when the fire alarm rings, everybody is evacuated out of the building to a safe place until it's safe to return inside.

In an evacuation, people are moved out to their houses to a place of safety away from the natural disaster.

A person who is evacuated is called an evacuee, and when it is safe for evacuees, they will return home.

Now infrastructure are structures such as buildings, roads, and power supplies.

So there are those key words again, evacuation and infrastructure.

The definitions are going to pop up on the screen and let's read them.

Structures such as buildings, roads, and power supplies.

When people are removed from a place of danger to a safer place.

I want you to use your finger and I want you to point to the definition of infrastructure.

Did you point at structures such as buildings, roads, and power supplies? Give yourself a pat on the back if you did, well done.

Now I want you to point at the definition of evacuation.

Did you point at when people are removed from a place of danger to a safer place? Excellent work, let's carry on.

Now, in the Tohoku earthquake, there were some immediate responses by the local community to the earthquake.

These were things that happened straight away.

So the immediate responses were a military aircraft identified areas that needed most urgent help, so the military aircraft flew over the Tohoku region and identified the areas that needed the most help, so that the search and rescue teams and the evacuation teams and the police and fire, the police and the fire engines could get there as quickly as possible, as well as those paramedic services.

Another immediate response was that roads were cleared to bring in water, food, medical care, and tents.

As you can see from the image, the infrastructure was all over the roads because the buildings had collapsed, so the roads needed to be cleared so that the emergency services could bring in water, food, medical care and tents because people's homes had been destroyed.

Now there were also some secondary responses.

Secondary responses were things that happened in the days and months that followed the earthquake, but still happened as a result of the earthquake.

One of the secondary responses was continued training, education and earthquake drills, so after the earthquake, people were really keen to know exactly how to respond in the case of an earthquake, and so people were educated on what to do if another earthquake occurred.

And rebuilding of infrastructure, so as you can see from the image, much of the infrastructure had been completely destroyed and so they had to work hard to rebuild the area of Tohoku.

Here is a question for you, let's zoom in.

Why were the roads cleared? The roads were cleared, you can use that sentence starter.

You need to use the information from the immediate and secondary responses, and you need to answer that question.

Pause the video now and complete that question.

Excellent, let's compare your answer to mine.

The roads were cleared to bring in water, food, medical care, and tents.

Pause the video now so you can tick or fix your answer.

Excellent, let's move on.

So effects of the earthquake.

Now, there were some immediate effects of the earthquake and these were things that happened straight away.

The immediate effects were, there were 16,000 deaths, so that means that 16,000 died immediately as a result mainly of the infrastructure collapsing, and then the tsunami.

There were 4,000 people missing, and 6,000 people were injured, so it was a completely devastating earthquake.

There were also some secondary effects, and these were things that happened in the days, weeks and months that followed, but they still happened as a result of the earthquake.

Those were tsunami wave and flooding.

The tsunami wave reached 39 metres high and travelled 10 kilometres inland, so it caused a lot of devastation.

And disruption to travel and farming, which cost the government money.

Here's a question for you, how many people died as a result of the earthquake? Was it A, 4,000? B, 6,000? C, 14,000? D, 16,000? Pause the video now and choose the answer that you think is correct.

Let's check the answer.

The answer was 16,000 people, so, devastatingly, 16,000 people died during this earthquake.

Pause the video now so you can tick or fix your response.

Let's move on.

So let's go back to thinking about the effects of the earthquake.

Now, the effect of the earthquake can be split into different categories depending on whether they impacted people or society, money or the economy, or the natural world or the environment.

I'd like you to pause the video now so you can draw this table.

Leave around three lines for each row.

Pause the video while you do that.

Great, now you've drawn the table, your job is going to be to sort the effects into the table.

You need to ask yourself is the effect relating to people, society, money, the economy, or the natural world, the environment? For example, the first effect, 16,000 deaths, relates to people, so that would go in the society row.

Pause the video now and sort the effects into the correct category.

Well done, everyone for having a go at that task, it was a tricky one, let's check the answers.

So in the society box, you should have had 16,000 deaths, 4,000 people missing, and 6,000 people injured because those all relate to people.

In the economy box, you should have had disruption to travel and farming, which cost the government money because that relates to money and the economy.

And in environment you should've had tsunami wave and flooding, tsunami wave reached 39 metres high and travelled 10 kilometres inland.

Pause the video now so you can tick or fix your answers.

Well done, everyone, fantastic work.

That was a tricky task, and I'm really, really proud of you for having a go.

Let's move on.

So what causes a tsunami? Well, a tsunami is a giant wave caused by the ground shaking during an earthquake or a volcanic eruption under the ocean.

However, most of the time, tsunamis are caused by earthquakes.

When the tectonic plates jolt, it causes lots of water to be pushed towards the shore at the same time in the form of a large wave.

Tsunamis can grow really big.

The Tohoku tsunami was 39 metres tall.

This much water caused huge floods that took many lives and damaged the infrastructure.

Here's a task, you need to answer the question.

Why was the tsunami in Tohoku so dangerous? The tsunami in Tohoku was so dangerous because.

Pause the video and answer that question.

Great work, everyone, now let's compare your answer to mine.

I said the tsunami in Tohoku was so dangerous because it was 39 metres tall, caused huge floods that took many lives and damaged the infrastructure.

Pause the video now so you can tick or fix your response.

Great work, everyone, that brings us to the end of today's lesson.

A really big, well done on all of the fantastic learning you've achieved today.

If you're able to, please take a picture of your work and ask your parents or carer to share it with your teacher so they can see all of the fantastic things you've learned today, and if you'd like, ask your parent or carer to send a picture of your work to @OakNational on Twitter, so I can see your lovely work too.

Don't forget to complete your end of lesson quiz and enjoy the rest of your learning for today.

Bye.