Japan Trench

American  

[juh-pan trench] / dʒəˈpæn ˈtrɛntʃ /

noun

1. an oceanic trench off northeastern Japan, created by the subduction of the Pacific Plate beneath the Okhotsk Plate, the continuous movement of which is a significant factor in the generation of earthquakes and tsunamis in northern Japan: part of the Pacific Ring of Fire.

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Etymology

Origin of Japan Trench

First recorded in 1905–10

Example Sentences

There are other trenches in the southwestern Pacific that are over 10,000 m deep; the Japan Trench is over 9,000 m deep; and the Puerto Rico and Chile-Peru Trenches are over 8,000 m deep.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2015

If towering tsunamis can also be produced by collapses along the Japan Trench, he says, the chance of anticipating the next one is nearly impossible.

From Science Magazine • Sep. 26, 2014

The extent to which the 2011 earthquake was unexpected suggests that we should consider the potential for similar large events elsewhere on the Japan Trench megathrust.

From Science Magazine • Jun. 16, 2011

To the east of the island, the North American and Pacific Plates meet in a section of the seafloor called the Japan Trench.

From "Meltdown" by Deirdre Langeland

Before 2011, most scientists believed that the Japan Trench could not produce an earthquake stronger than magnitude 7.5.

From "Meltdown" by Deirdre Langeland