Figure 1.13 Japan’s 2011 “triple disaster.” On March 11, a very strong 9.0 magnitude earthquake occurred undersea off the Pacific Coast of Japan. This initiated the first part of the disaster. Shock waves traveled through the Earth’s crust and caused widespread structural damage (left). The accompanying seafloor displacement generated a tsunami that swept away entire communities. All that remained of the coastal town of Minamisnriku was rubble (center). The tsunami also triggered the third part of the disaster: a meltdown and radiation release at the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant (right). The power plant was not designed to withstand a tsunami or the flooding that damaged the reactors. Given that Japan has a well-known history of earthquakes and tsunamis, would you classify this “triple disaster” as natural or human-made? (The Asahi Shimbury/Getty Images; AFP/Getty Images; Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images.)