EARTHQUAKE AND TSUNAMI STRUCK NORTH-EAST JAPAN A 9.0-magnitude earthquake and tsunami struck north-east Japan on Friday, killing thousands and leaving more than 400,000 people homeless. Many survivors are facing power, fuel and food shortages, amid freezing temperatures and aftershocks. (BBC News) Magnitude: New Words: (n) [ˈmægnɪˌtjuːd] (Earth Sciences / Geological Science) Also called earthquake magnitude Geology a measure of the size of an earthquake based on the quantity of energy released: specified on the Richter scale earthquake (n) [ˈɜːθˌkweɪk] (Earth Sciences / Geological Science) a sudden release of energy in the earth's crust or upper mantle, usually caused by movement along a fault plane or by volcanic activity and resulting in the generation of seismic waves which can be destructive tsunami (n) [tsʊˈnæmɪ] (Earth Sciences / Physical Geography) a large, often destructive, sea wave produced by a submarine earthquake, subsidence, or volcanic eruption. . EARTHQUAKE AND TSUNAMI STRUCK NORTH-EAST JAPAN A 9.0-magnitude earthquake and tsunami struck north-east Japan on Friday, killing thousands and leaving more than 400,000. power, fuel and food shortages, amid freezing temperatures and aftershocks. (BBC News) Magnitude: New Words: (n) [ˈmægnɪˌtjuːd] (Earth Sciences / Geological Science) Also called earthquake magnitude. earthquake magnitude Geology a measure of the size of an earthquake based on the quantity of energy released: specified on the Richter scale earthquake (n) [ˈɜːθˌkweɪk] (Earth Sciences / Geological