Guest fountainhall Posted March 11, 2011 Posted March 11, 2011 A massive earthquake hit Japan about 400 kms north of Tokyo today at 12:56 Thailand time, triggering a tsunami that saw a wall of water approx. 10m high wash away cars, boats and houses. Seismologists say it is one of the largest 'quakes' to hit Japan for many years. It was followed by a series of powerful aftershocks. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-12709598 This is the latest in a number of quite major earthquakes to hit Japan this week, the last being a 7.3 magnitude 'quake' 2 days ago. I wonder if these are a precursor of 'the big one' that seismologists have been predicting for some decades. Three tectonic plates intersect just south of Tokyo. The last great Kanto earthquake was just outside Tokyo in 1923. Although measuring only 7.9, it caused between 100,000 and 140,000 deaths. Earthquakes are relatively common in Tokyo. When I lived there for 2 years, we had on average one every 6 weeks. But they were all relatively minor. Whilst Tokyo building codes have been rigorously tightened since World War 2 and all Tokyo households regularly practise earthquake drills, another major one under the city is long overdue. At a meeting of the American Geophysical Union in 2005, it was stated that "recurrence of a 1923 level 'quake' today under Tokyo would cost about one trillion dollars, of which perhaps 10% is insured." Just 10%!! http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2005AGUFM.S23C..01S Quote
Guest GaySacGuy Posted March 11, 2011 Posted March 11, 2011 If you are expecting someone to travel to Thailand tonight through Japan, then you better do some checking before going to the airport. The massive 8.9 quake has closed Narita and other airports, shut down trains in Japan, and caused a major Tsunami through out the North and Central Pacific. They are saying that this is the 8th largest quake ever recorded since they started keeping records. Quote
Guest fountainhall Posted March 11, 2011 Posted March 11, 2011 To put it into perspective, the 2004 Boxing Day 'quake off Indonesia which resulted in the massive Indian Ocean tsunami was between 9.1 and 9.3 on the Richter scale. That was the third largest ever recorded and the longest at between 8 minutes 20 seconds and 10 minutes. The British Geological Survey told the BBC that today's tremor is now the 6th largest 'quake ever recorded. It is estimated at 8,000 times more powerful than the 'quake which devastated Christchurch in New Zealand last month!! The BBC also advises that coastal areas of Hawaii have been evacuated as the islands could be hit by a wave of up to two-metres high. For South America, they are estimating a height of between half-a-metre and a metre, whereas for some places on the US West Coast it might be around a metre. I have tried calling friends in Tokyo but cannot get through on their cell phones. I am sure this is merely because networks are overloaded and nothing more sinister. Again quoting the BBC, power has returned to much of Tokyo, although there is no public transport. There is, however, a state of emergency at a nuclear power plant at Fukushima about 300 kms north of Tokyo which experienced a failure in the cooling system. Tokyo's Narita Airport, which was closer to the epicentre, remains closed, but the city's second airport, Haneda, which started international flights only in the last few months has now reopened. As GaySacGuy suggested, with Narita being the main international hub for airlines like American, United, Northwest, JAL and ANA, amongst others, there is likely to be travel chaos for some time to come, especially with major aftershocks due for many more days, if not months. Quote
TotallyOz Posted March 11, 2011 Posted March 11, 2011 I have been watching this intensely. It is a horribly sad day. My heart goes out to all there. Quote
Guest Posted March 11, 2011 Posted March 11, 2011 The Tsunami pictures are unbelievable. I hope the death toll does not rise significantly from the already high levels. Quote
KhorTose Posted March 11, 2011 Posted March 11, 2011 88,000 AND COUNTING. Very sad. I am presently in the US and flying home via Narita but not to the first of next month. Quote
Guest voldemar Posted March 11, 2011 Posted March 11, 2011 88,000 AND COUNTING. I do not know where you got this number. I see numbers in hundreds so far... If this is (long awaited) their big one, then they are relatively lucky, cause it did not destroy big cities... I was in Kobe during the one which essentially destroyed the city... Around 10 thousands died and I remember walking towards Osaka airport cause the highway was destroyed... Quote
Guest fountainhall Posted March 12, 2011 Posted March 12, 2011 According to The Guardian this morning, that figure of 88,000 is the number of people missing. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/mar/11/earthquake-japan-history-dead-missing The death toll presently stands at around 1,000. But having seen those images of the devastating tsunami, it is bound to rise very significantly. I had a mail from my friends in Tokyo this morning. They have lived there for more than 20 years and told me it was the worst shaking they have ever experienced. I just missed you in Kobe, voldemar. I was at a Conference at the New Otani Hotel the previous week-end. Thankfully I missed that 'quake, but I was 30 miles from the one in Santa Cruz in 1989. It's a weird and frightening feeling, especially with all the aftershocks. Quote
Guest voldemar Posted March 12, 2011 Posted March 12, 2011 According to The Guardian this morning, that figure of 88,000 is the number of people missing. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/mar/11/earthquake-japan-history-dead-missing The death toll presently stands at around 1,000. But having seen those images of the devastating tsunami, it is bound to rise very significantly. I had a mail from my friends in Tokyo this morning. They have lived there for more than 20 years and told me it was the worst shaking they have ever experienced. I just missed you in Kobe, voldemar. I was at a Conference at the New Otani Hotel the previous week-end. Thankfully I missed that 'quake, but I was 30 miles from the one in Santa Cruz in 1989. It's a weird and frightening feeling, especially with all the aftershocks. Well, if the number of victims 88 thousands, I need to take my words back. It is staggering... What always amazed me, how Japanese handle these type of crises and I am sure they will cope with this one too. I vividly remember event in Kobe ( I was at my host house in Nara) and, frankly, it was more than enough for me. Walking to Osaka airport on my feets was surreal but I forgot to mention that two very cute Japanese students carried my luggage... Quote
Guest fountainhall Posted March 12, 2011 Posted March 12, 2011 According to a Korean new agency, both Narita and Haneda airports are now open. As of Saturday, Haneda is fully operational, however, Narita Airport only has some flights coming in and going out. http://www.arirang.co.kr/News/News_View.asp?nseq=113634&code=Ne8&category=1 Cathay Pacific's website confirms that the airline will operate a full schedule to both airports from this afternoon. I forgot to mention that two very cute Japanese students carried my luggage... I do hope you gave them something nice for their labours Quote
Guest fountainhall Posted March 12, 2011 Posted March 12, 2011 This after effect of the earthquake could now get a whole lot worse. A massive explosion has apparently struck one of the Japanese nuclear power plants at Fukushima. Japanese officials fear a meltdown at one of the plant's reactors after radioactive material was detected outside it. Japan's Prime Minister Naoto Kan declared a state of emergency at the Fukushima 1 and 2 power plants as engineers try to confirm whether a reactor at one of the stations has gone into meltdown. It is an automatic procedure after nuclear reactors shut down in the event of an earthquake, allowing officials to take rapid action. Television pictures showed a massive blast at one of the buildings of the Fukushima 1 plant, about 250km (160 miles) north-east of Tokyo. A huge cloud of smoke billows out and large bits of debris are flung far from the building. Japan's NHK TV showed before and after pictures of the plant. They appeared to show that the outer structure of one of four buildings at the plant had collapsed after the explosion. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-12720219 Quote
Guest GaySacGuy Posted March 13, 2011 Posted March 13, 2011 Things may get a lot worse. This from CNN "We are assuming that a meltdown has occurred" at a quake-damaged nuclear reactor, Japan's chief Cabinet secretary says And this from MSNBC "Japan's top government spokesman says partial meltdown likely underway at second reactor" Story at link http://broadcaster.msnbc.msn.com/t?r=9&c=5554&l=98&ctl=34CE3:599D8A7AF172CD12CFFF9D58755A8F7E& A meltdown isn't something anyone is able to deal with. To have two in progress in one area is definitely not good!! Not a pretty picture. Long term effect of radiation might be worse than the quake! I wish all of them the very best...it is going to be a rough few weeks. Quote
Guest fountainhall Posted March 24, 2011 Posted March 24, 2011 This is fascinating. It's a time-lapse data map showing to location of all 747 earthquakes so far to have hit Japan since that first big one on March 11th. http://www.japanquakemap.com/ Quote
Guest fountainhall Posted March 25, 2011 Posted March 25, 2011 In the latest of the comic/tragic episodes at the damaged Fukushima nuclear reactor, three cable-layers have been hospitalized after stepping into contaminated water without realizing that the water contained high levels of radiation. The plant's operator, Tokyo Electric Power (Tepco), admitted that the workers had not measured radioactivity levels before beginning work, and that two, who are being treated for radiation burns, were not wearing protective boots . . . The source of the water was not immediately clear. Tepco said no puddle had been spotted in the turbine building the previous day. Fire trucks have been dousing the reactor in recent days in an attempt to cool a storage pool for spent fuel rods. The accident cast doubt on Tepco's ability to properly monitor radioactivity at the site. "This kind of exposure, from water, was unforeseen," the government's chief spokesman, Yukio Edano, told reporters. "Atmospheric radiation levels are monitored constantly, but in this case the workers stepped into water. We are trying to find out exactly what happened so we can ensure it doesn't happen again." http://www.wasteconnect.co.uk/ It blows my mind that anyone in any position of authority can have the gall to claim that "this kind of exposure . . . was unforeseen." With exposed spent fuel rods, the distinct possibility of a broken reactor casing and goodness knows how many million gallons of water raining down on the facility to cool it down, I'd have thought radioactive water would be one of the most obvious of dangers. I hope the Japanese public is finally coming to realise that their politicians and bureaucrats often appear more like characters from a Tom and Jerry cartoon. Quote
Guest Posted March 25, 2011 Posted March 25, 2011 I hope the Japanese public is finally coming to realise that their politicians and bureaucrats often appear more like characters from a Tom and Jerry cartoon. Surely TEPCO manage operational matters? When things settle down, the Japanese government should sack their entire board of directors and headhunt some talent from outside. France has a successful nuclear industry, so perhaps that is the place to find the management skills to shake Tepco up. Quote
Guest GaySacGuy Posted March 26, 2011 Posted March 26, 2011 Surely TEPCO manage operational matters? When things settle down, the Japanese government should sack their entire board of directors and headhunt some talent from outside. France has a successful nuclear industry, so perhaps that is the place to find the management skills to shake Tepco up. I know nothing about Japanese law, but if they have anything comparable, then a charge of criminal negligence would seem fair...with some major jail time. They were more worried about not ruining their "investment" than they were about protecting the lives and property around the plant. Quote
Guest voldemar Posted March 26, 2011 Posted March 26, 2011 I know nothing about Japanese law, but if they have anything comparable, then a charge of criminal negligence would seem fair...with some major jail time. They were more worried about not ruining their "investment" than they were about protecting the lives and property around the plant. Well, taking account the magnitude of quake and subsequent tsunami, it is merely a miracle that consequences are so limited. Melt down, damaging of the core, it all sounds very scary but in reality the contamination outside immediate area around the plant is simply negligible. Everybody knows that but politicians, journalists, green activists, plain idiots, fear-mongeres do play their own games. According to experts, the only unknown in the current situation is clustering of six reactors in closed proximity. Such situations has not been modeled for extreme situation we are dealing with. Everything else is just smoke and mirrors (but , of course, sacrifice of the people handling the problem is real). Quote
