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Aftermath of Japan's earthquake (photos)

A magnitude 8.9 earthquake off the coast of Japan causes damage, but not as much as the resulting tsunami that's affecting other countries as well.

Stephen Shankland
Stephen Shankland worked at CNET from 1998 to 2024 and wrote about processors, digital photography, AI, quantum computing, computer science, materials science, supercomputers, drones, browsers, 3D printing, USB, and new computing technology in general. He has a soft spot in his heart for standards groups and I/O interfaces. His first big scoop was about radioactive cat poop.
Stephen Shankland
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1 of 11 Xinhua/Kyodo

Tsunami wave

A magnitude 8.9 earthquake off the coast of Japan today sends a tsunami ashore into a residential area in Natori, in the Miyagi Prefecture of northeastern Japan.

Editors' note: This slideshow was updated at 8:10 a.m. PT with additional photos.

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2 of 11 Darren Gubbins/AFP/Getty Images/Newscom

Cars on edge of collapsed road

Two cars hang precariously on the edge of a collapsed roadway in Yabuki, in southern Fukushima Prefecture.
JapanFactoryBuilding.JPG
3 of 11 Fukushima Minpo/AFP/Getty Images/Newscom

Factory building collapsed

In Sukagawa city in Fukushima prefecture, a fire truck stands at the ready by a collapsed factory building.
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4 of 11 Flickr user <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/43120948@N04/">Hikosaemon</a>

Traffic jam

Masses of people headed for home as here, in Tokyo's Akasaka district, on foot or stalled in traffic jams.
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5 of 11 NOAA

Tsunami timeline

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration issued this estimate of when the tsunami would reach various parts of the world.
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6 of 11 NOAA

Tsunami propagation

More vividly, NOAA used a computer prediction system to forecast tsunami wave heights from the Japanese earthquake.
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7 of 11 NOAA

Tsunami warning for North America

NOAA's tsunami warning for the west coast of North America.
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8 of 11 Michael Wood

Contra Costa County tsunami alert

Upon seeing this alert on his TV at 1:30 a.m. PT, San Francisco Bay Area resident Michael Wood exclaimed on Twitter: "Jeez! I've never seen a tsunami warning for Contra Costa County!"
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9 of 11 Kristen McQuillin

Busy intersection

A normally quiet intersection in central Tokyo was busy Friday afternoon after all trains were stopped following the powerful earthquake.
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10 of 11 Kristen McQuillin

Packed roadway

A road heading toward the western suburbs of Tokyo is packed with cars and buses.
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11 of 11 Kristen McQuillin

Commuters on foot

Commuters had to walk home through Tokyo because the magnitude-8.9 earthquake stopped trains.

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