One in a 1,000 year tsunami

Tsunamis that hit north-east Japan last week are likely to strike the region once every 1,000 years, suggests an expert.

Tsunamis that hit north-east Japan last week are likely to strike the region once every 1,000 years, suggests an expert.

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Roger Musson, a leading seismologist, has said that there were similarities between the last week’s event and another giant wave that hit the Sendai coast in 869 AD.

It is not unusual for undersea earthquakes to generate tsunamis in this part of Japan. Offshore quakes in the 19th and 20th centuries also caused large walls of water to hit this area of coastline. The researchers said such tsunamis occur in the area roughly once every 1,000 years. However, another researcher said they would be cautious to draw conclusions about the frequency of such events.