Tsunami raised water levels over 40km inland

[Hannah Bell]

Japan's Land Ministry has found that the tsunami on March 11th ran more than 40 kilometers upstream from river mouths.

The ministry collected data of water levels from major rivers in the affected areas and calculated how far the waves traveled upstream.

The records show that the water of the Kitakami river in Miyagi Prefecture rose by 11 centimeters about 49 kilometers inland nearly 3 hours after the earthquake. The Tone river rose by 30 centimeters at a point more than 44 kilometers from the estuary.

The ministry believes the waves would have reached further upstream if all the floodgates had been open. 6 of the 9 gates located 18 kilometers from the shore were closed when the tsunami hit one of Japan's longest rivers.

http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/29_01.html