EEFIT field observations and lessons from the 11th March 2011 Mw9.0 Tohoku earthquake: ground motion and shaking damage

Lessons must be learned from the catastrophic 11th March 2011 Tohoku earthquake to better cope with future earthquake disasters. In particular, from the ground motion point of view, abundant and high-quality shaking data were obtained and have been made available to public through the national strong motion networks. In light of accessible data, field reconnaissance observations from the EEFIT-Tohoku mission are interpreted, and critical features of observed ground shaking in terms of amplitude, duration, and frequency content are identified. The findings from this study offer valuable insight on key features that seismologists and earthquake engineers should focus upon for seismic risk mitigation.