Fig. 1

Vertical deformation in NE Japan observed in different timescales. a Long-term (150 ky) uplift rate estimated from marine and fluvial terraces. Uplift rate represented by contours with an interval of 0.2 mm/year from Tajikara (2004) and Tajikara and Ikeda (2005). Uplift rate represented by circles from Yoshiyama and Yanagida (1995) and Koike and Machida (2001). b Late-interseismic uplift rate based on 100-year leveling observations before the 2011 Tohoku earthquake (Kunimi et al. 2001). Contours show uplift rate with an interval of 2 mm/year. c Coseismic vertical deformation during the Tohoku earthquake. Inset shows plate configuration around NE Japan indicated by rectangle. Black contours show uplift with an interval of 0.2 m. Yellow area with red contours shows slip distribution for the Tohoku earthquake with a contour interval of 5 m (Yagi and Fukahata 2011). Star shows epicenter. Gray line with triangles denotes the Japan trench. Gray contours show depth to the top of subducting plate with an interval of 10 km from the CAMP model (Hashimoto et al. 2004). Line AB shows the modeled section. Arrow shows the relative motion of PAC with respect to EUR (DeMets et al. 1994). Trench data in inset from Bird (2003). EUR Eurasian plate, PAC Pacific plate, PHS Philippine Sea plate