Day 2

So after spending a lovely day in Tokyo (35°42′2″N139°42′54″E), helping out and learning about the Tectonic Plate movement that caused the earthquake, we are going to the base of the Himalayas, to check out the awesome mountain range that was made after India smashed into Asia.

Whoops-did I not explain too well about what happened in Japan?

So what happened in Japan was something that was called "Subduction" between two two tectonic plates. The Pacific plate and the Eurasian plate are the key players here. The Pacific Plate slid underneath the Eurasian Plate, which created a tremor that we call an earthquake. But, what caused the most damage was the tsunami that the earthquake triggered.

http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/explorations/06fire/background/volcanism/media/subducting_plate_600.jpg

As you can see in the above diagram, the Pacific Plate slides under the Philippine Plate. The Pacific Plate is the "subducting" plate, while the Philippine Plate is the "overlying" plate. the Pacific Plate pushes the Philippine Plate up, which is an earthquake.

A neat fact about Subduction Zones: They are more prone to volcanoes and major earthquakes! No surprise there! Japan got hit by a major earthquake!

I hope you learned a little more about Plate Tectonics! I'll be blogging more about Plate Tectonics and my trip around the world soon! With the conclusion of Japan, we are off to the Himalayas! See you there!

(Of course, since we are underage, we cannot climb the Himalayas, so we'll settle for a day or so of sightseeing around the Himalayas and more knowledge about Tectonic Plates!)

Day One and three-quarters

So, we finally made it to Japan...after a long and arduous 14 hr trip, we have finally touched down in Tokyo, Japan. (35°42′2″N139°42′54″E)As I walk around the Tokyo airport, I notice a lot of people staring at our group of merry travelers. I wondered why they were staring at us, until I realized that we didn't look like an average group of travelers. Here's a picture:

http://www.greenbang.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/799px-shinchitose_airport_terminal_building.jpg

Very nice place to stay for a day, right? Well, we zipped off to see the places with the most damage, so we could help out and so that we could see what happens when tectonic plates collide.

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXe_Gkd8uXrVuWZHRNcrMRufJVs3aTxGEAMVUG1XfUg2Ihxvv9MAGpF3prsDtX2XpJQv5Fk_DFHQKJnUss10CL-jNlFeBsytOQLVXOEx6p8A_5V_gq5hI_wnmCQDwq9D51A7onDFrYvRWG/s1600/japan+earthquake+tsunami+2011-4.jpg

You can obviously see the impact that the earthquake had in Japan. We learned how the Pacific Plate slid underneath the North American Plate. Since Japan is right on the line of those two plates, it suffered the most damage. Because of the jolt of the plates, it created a Tsunami, which is the major cause of all the damage.

We helped around, picking up trash along the beaches, helped clear away fallen debris, and all the while, contemplating about how much Mother Nature can make one cry, or laugh, or crumble. We'll stay here for sometime, the next post I make will be at our next stop-destination unknown right now! See you there!