What is Japan Trench?
[[File:Japan Trench Map.jpg|thumb|upright=1.5|A map depicting the '''Japan Trench''' and its surrounding connections to other relevant trenches. The map was created using GeoMapApp.]] [[File:Japan Trench.png|[[Topographic map]] of central Japan, showing location of trenches, tectonic plates and boundaries.|thumb]] The '''Japan Trench''' is a long [[oceanic trench]] in the [[Pacific Ocean]] near [[Japan]]. It is a deep and wide [[trench]], and it is famous because it's where one of the most powerful [[Earthquake|earthquakes]] happened in 2011. This earthquake caused a big [[tsunami]] that affected Japan's eastern coast. The Japan Trench is important because it's where two of Earth's [[Plate tectonics|tectonic plates]] meet: the [[Pacific plate|Pacific Plate]] and the [[North American plate|North American Plate]]. These plates move and sometimes cause earthquakes and tsunamis in the region. The rate of [[subduction]] associated with the Japan Trench has been recorded at about 7.9–9.2 centimetres (3.1–3.6 in)/yr.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Sella|first1=Giovanni F.|last2=Dixon|first2=Timothy H.|last3=Mao|first3=Ailin|date=2002|title=REVEL: A model for Recent plate velocities from space geodesy|url=https://scholarcommons.usf.edu/geo_facpub/468|journal=Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth|volume=107|issue=B4|pages=ETG 11–1–ETG 11–30|bibcode=2002JGRB..107.2081S|doi=10.1029/2000jb000033|issn=0148-0227|access-date=2 January 2024}}</ref> ==References== {{Reflist}} ==Other websites== *{{commons category-inline|Japan Trench}} {{Japan-stub}} [[Category:Pacific Ocean]] [[Category:Geography of Japan]]