Japanese geologists are calling this “the big one.” Not only was the 8.9 magnitude earthquake the largest on record in the country’s history and the fifth-strongest in the world in the past 111 years, according to MSNBC. But even some of its nineteen aftershocks were bigger than the earthquake that devastated Christchurch in New Zealand last month. Video taken from inside Japan during the earthquake shows the impact even on buildings made to withstand major quakes. But it is footage of the tsunami, which was set off by what experts estimate is a 300- to 500-mile undersea fault line, that comes closer to looking apocalyptic. Large ships and buildings are sucked into its path. Cars and trucks are tossed around like toys in a tub. Waves appear slow-moving on camera but “can travel at the speed of a jet engine.” In mere seconds, acres of farmland, coastline, and roads are drowned in debris-filled water.
