Japan Tohoku March 11, 2011 (M = 9.0) Earthquake Source Structure, Its Macroseismic, Seismological, and Geodynamic Manifestations

Earthquake source parameters, seismological, geological, geophysical, geodetic, and macroseismic data are reported for the source zone of the Tohoku earthquake (M = 9) that occurred on March 11, 2011 near the eastern coast of Honshu Island. The seismotectonic position of the seismic source situated in the western Pacific active margin, distribution of epicenters and hypocenters of the main shock, foreshocks and aftershocks, features of the focal mechanism solutions, and directions of the horizontal and vertical offsets of the Island surface were studied to focus attention on the nature of deformation in the Honshu Region. The obtained data make it possible to establish intraplate and interplate components in the complex source of the earthquake. Relationships between seismic and geodetic manifestations were investigated. The Tohoku earthquake was suggested to be a great lithospheric structure.