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62
Mostly True Japan

The website discusses the impact of a 2011 earthquake in Japan, highlighting how a seismic wave reflected off Earth's core caused the country to shift east. It also notes the unprecedented nature of this core-reflected wave triggering fault slips.

The claims regarding the 2011 Tohoku earthquake are largely supported by evidence. The earthquake's impact on Japan's landmass, including a permanent offset, is well-documented by multiple high-quality sources. The role of seismic waves, particularly core-reflected S waves, in causing fault slips and being detected shortly after the mainshock, is supported but with less direct evidence, leading to moderate confidence scores. Overall, the claims are factual with varying degrees of corroboration.

June 19, 2026 Language: en 5 claims analyzed

Individual Claims

76
Mostly True Science
A 2011 earthquake bounced a seismic wave off Earth's core, nudging Japan east.
The evidence supports the claim that the 2011 Tohoku earthquake generated a seismic wave that traveled to Earth's core and returned, causing Japan to shift eastward. This is corroborated by multiple sources, including Gizmodo and Wikipedia, which describe the seismic wave's impact on Japan's landmass. However, the specific mechanism of 'bouncing off Earth's core' is not explicitly detailed in the evidence, leading to a slightly lower confidence score.
Fact Check Score None
Fact Check Weight 0
Web Consensus Score 85
Web Consensus Weight 50
Source Quality Score 80
Source Quality Weight 25
Llm Reasoning Score 75
Llm Reasoning Weight 25
Weighted Total 76
Evidence Summary 3 web sources corroborate the seismic wave's impact on Japan.
70
Mostly True Science
The Tohoku earthquake's core-reflected S wave caused faults to slip.
The evidence indicates that the Tohoku earthquake involved significant fault slip, as described by USGS and other sources. However, the specific claim that a core-reflected S wave caused this slip is not directly corroborated by the evidence provided. The general mechanism of fault slip during the earthquake is well-documented, but the role of core-reflected S waves is less clear, leading to a moderate confidence score.
Fact Check Score None
Fact Check Weight 0
Web Consensus Score 70
Web Consensus Weight 50
Source Quality Score 80
Source Quality Weight 25
Llm Reasoning Score 75
Llm Reasoning Weight 25
Weighted Total 70
Evidence Summary 2 web sources discuss fault slip but not specifically due to core-reflected S waves.
10
False Science
Core-reflected S waves travel through Earth's mantle to the core's edge and back.
Fact Check Score None
Fact Check Weight 0
Web Consensus Score None
Web Consensus Weight 0
Source Quality Score None
Source Quality Weight 0
Llm Reasoning Score -1
Llm Reasoning Weight 100
Weighted Total 10
Evidence Summary None
69
Mostly True Science
The Tohoku earthquake's core-reflected S wave was detected 15 minutes after the mainshock.
The evidence from Gizmodo and other sources suggests that a seismic wave was detected shortly after the mainshock of the Tohoku earthquake. However, the specific timing of 15 minutes and the identification as a core-reflected S wave is not explicitly confirmed in the evidence, leading to a moderate confidence score.
Fact Check Score None
Fact Check Weight 0
Web Consensus Score 65
Web Consensus Weight 50
Source Quality Score 70
Source Quality Weight 25
Llm Reasoning Score 75
Llm Reasoning Weight 25
Weighted Total 69
Evidence Summary 1 web source mentions seismic wave detection post-mainshock.
85
True Science
The Tohoku earthquake caused a permanent offset across Japan.
Multiple high-quality sources, including USGS and University of Michigan, confirm that the Tohoku earthquake caused a permanent offset in Japan's landmass, shifting it by up to 2.4 meters east. This is a well-documented outcome of the earthquake, leading to a high fact score and confidence score.
Fact Check Score None
Fact Check Weight 0
Web Consensus Score 95
Web Consensus Weight 50
Source Quality Score 90
Source Quality Weight 25
Llm Reasoning Score 85
Llm Reasoning Weight 25
Weighted Total 85
Evidence Summary 3 high-quality sources confirm permanent offset in Japan.

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