NOVA Season 38 Episode 16 Synopsis

In its worst crisis since World War II, Japan faces disaster on an epic scale: a rising passing toll in the tens of thousands, massive destruction of homes and businesses, shortages of water and power, and the specter of nuclear-reactor meltdowns. The facts and figures are astonishing. The March 11th earthquake was the world's fourth-largest earthquake since record keeping began in 1900 and the worst ever to shake Japan. The seismic shock wave released more than 4,000 times the energy of the largest nuclear test ever conducted; it shifted the earth's axis by six inches and shortened the day by a few millionths of a second. The tsunami slammed Japan's coast with 30-feet-high waves that traveled six miles inland, obliterating entire towns in a matter of minutes. "Japan'shuger Quake" combines authoritative on-the-spot reporting, personal stories of tragedy and survival, compelling eyewitness videos, explanatory graphics and exclusive helicopter footage for a unique look at the science behind the catastrophe.

NOVA Season 38 Episodes...

• s38e01 - Building the Great Cathedrals
• s38e02 - Emergency Mine Rescue
• s38e03 - Trapped in an Elevator
• s38e04 - Dogs Decoded
• s38e05 - Secrets of Stonehenge
• s38e06 - Quest for Solomon's Mines
• s38e07 - Secrets Beneath the Ice
• s38e08 - Deadliest Earthquakes
• s38e09 - Making Stuff Stronger (1)
• s38e10 - Making Stuff Smaller (2)
• s38e11 - Making Stuff Cleaner (3)
• s38e12 - Making Stuff Smarter (4)
• s38e13 - Smartest Machine on Earth
• s38e14 - Crash of Flight 447
• s38e15 - Venom: Nature's Killer
• s38e16 - Japan's Killer Quake
• s38e17 - Power Surge

NOVA Show Summary

Seen in more than 100 countries, NOVA is the most watched science based television series in the world and the most watched documentary series on PBS. It is also one of television's most acclaimed series, having won many major television awards, most of them many times over.