science

Seikan Tunnel

Seikan Tunnel is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Seikan Tunnel rather than just read about it. In short: The Seikan Tunnel (Japanese: 青函トンネル, Seikan Tonneru or 青函隧道, Seikan Zuidō) is a 53.85-kilometre (33.5-mile) dual-gauge railway tunnel in Japan, with a 23.3-kilometre (14.5-mile) segment running beneath the seabed of the Tsugaru Strait, which separates Aomori Prefecture on Honshu, Japan's main island, from the northern island of Hokkaido. The tunnel's track level lies approximately 100 metres (330 ft) below the seabe…

Key takeaways

Seikan Tunnel belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Seikan Tunnel to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Seikan Tunnel from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The Seikan Tunnel (Japanese: 青函トンネル, Seikan Tonneru or 青函隧道, Seikan Zuidō) is a 53.85-kilometre (33.5-mile) dual-gauge railway tunnel in Japan, with a 23.3-kilometre (14.5-mile) segment running beneath the seabed of the Tsugaru Strait, which separates Aomori Prefecture on Honshu, Japan's main island, from the northern island of Hokkaido. The tunnel's track level lies approximately 100 metres (330 ft) below the seabed and 240 metres (790 ft) below sea level. Following several decades of planning and construction, the tunnel opened on 13 March 1988. The Seikan Tunnel forms part of the standard-gauge Hokkaido Shinkansen as well as the narrow-gauge Kaikyō Line operated by the Hokkaido Railway Company (JR Hokkaido). Its name, "Seikan," is derived from the on'yomi readings of the first characters of Aomori (青森), the nearest major city in Honshu, and Hakodate (函館), the nearest major city in Hokkaido. By total length, the Seikan Tunnel is the world’s longest undersea tunnel, surpassing even the Channel Tunnel (although the latter has a longer undersea section at 37.9 kilometres (23.5 mi) vs 23.3 kilometres (14.5 mi) for the Seikan Tunnel). It is also the deepest railroad tunnel below sea level and was the deepest transport tunnel of any kind until Norway's Hitra Tunnel opened in 1994. It is the second longest main-line railway tunnel following Switzerland’s Gotthard Base Tunnel, which began operations in 2016.

History

… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.

Illustrations

Profile diagram of the undersea tunnel section

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Seikan Tunnel

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Seikan Tunnel claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Seikan Tunnel before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Seikan Tunnel ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Seikan Tunnel

In research: Seikan Tunnel appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Seikan Tunnel in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Seikan Tunnel is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1988 establishments in Japan, Coastal construction, Hokkaido Shinkansen, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Seikan Tunnel outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

Ask Teacher Smith questions about this articleOpens your AI tutor with a question about “Seikan Tunnel” →

Affiliate

Preply — study more efficiently by working with a personal tutor. 50% off.

How to study Seikan Tunnel in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Seikan Tunnel means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Seikan Tunnel out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Seikan Tunnel in simple terms?

Why does Seikan Tunnel matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Seikan Tunnel?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Seikan Tunnel.