Geo 730: March 28, Day 452: Stranded on the Strand

The tsunami dock, torn loose from its mooring in Misawa, Japan, during the aftermath of the Tohoku earthquake on March 11th, 2011, a bit more than three years ago. While many, including myself, felt that this would be best preserved in place as a historical artifact, a monument to the stupendous losses of that event, the state determined that the best course, economically and in terms of safety, would be to cut it up and remove it. A section of the dock, the closest corner, from this point of view, has been preserved as a memorial at Hatfield Marine Science Center, a free public outreach museum on the south side of Yaquina Bay. So while this site is now unrecognizably different, and missing the dock, a small representation of this slice of time remains elsewhere.

Photo unmodified. July 10, 2012. FlashEarth location (approximate).