Japan hit with 9.0 Earthquake and 45 ft Tsunami

[NJ-Buckeye]

In a lot of ways, the Johnstown Flood was a microcosm of this.. including the tsunami waters carrying houses, vehicles, animals and people.. plus the whirlpool and the fires

Since I could only conceptualize what I read in the book... watching these scenes seemed a mirror of what Johnstown must have experienced

 

[Muck]

In a lot of ways, the Johnstown Flood was a microcosm of this.. including the tsunami waters carrying houses, vehicles, animals and people.. plus the whirlpool and the fires

Since I could only conceptualize what I read in the book... watching these scenes seemed a mirror of what Johnstown must have experienced

The first time I remember seeing similar images was during the Mt. St. Helens eruption back in '80.

 

[jwinslow]

Quake moved Japan coast 8 feet

...


http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/asiapcf/03/12/japan.nuclear/index.html?hpt=T1

The explosion was caused, he said, by a failure in a pumping system as workers tried to prevent the reactor's temperature from racing out of control.
While Edano said radiation levels appeared to be falling after the explosion, the government nevertheless ordered an expanded evacuation of the area around the Daiichi plant, as well as a second facility where the cooling system had failed -- the Fukushima Daini plant.
Although government officials painted a hopeful picture, saying crews had begun implementing a backup plan to flood the reactor containment structure with sea water, a nuclear expert said the situation is dire even if it is already under control.

"If this accident stops right now it will already be one of the three worst accidents we have ever had at a nuclear power plant in the history of nuclear power," said Joseph Cirincione, an expert on nuclear materials and president of the U.S.-based Ploughshares Fund, a firm involved in security and peace funding.
If the effort to cool the nuclear fuel inside the reactor fails completely -- a scenario experts who have spoken to CNN say is unlikely -- the resulting release of radiation could cause enormous damage to the plant or release radiation into the atmosphere or water. That could lead to widespread cancer and other health problems, experts say.

 

[localyokel]

http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/asiapcf/03/12/japan.earthquake.tsunami.earth/index.html?hpt=T1

Earthquake moved the axis of the earth 10 cm (4 inches).. that's eery

The quake that caused the Indonesian tsunami was said to have moved it, too,

Plus, the Chilean earthquake from about a year ago hacked a little off the length of our days.

http://thetechjournal.com/science/chile-earthquake-affects-earth-axis-shortens-our-days.xhtml

That adds up to a little more than a butterfly effect, seems like.

 

[Gatorubet]

Gator, I knew you were smart, but that post practically makes you a rocket scientist.

Thanks, but I need to introduce you to the guys at the Autozone store today, who listened to my questions about how to install new oxygen sensors in my SUV. They will sign affidavits that I am only slightly above an imbecile - but they are even reserving judgment on that until I return the tool I rented.

 

[Mike80]

http://www.marketwatch.com/video/as...CA5B938#!C7874062-0539-44F5-9652-38ECD8E85BF9

 

[Gatorubet]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/03/12/japan-earthquake-2011-nuclear-meltdown-threat_n_835002.html

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703555404576195700301455480.html
WSJ-

Separately, company documents show that Tokyo Electric tested the Fukushima
plant to withstand a maximum seismic jolt lower than Friday's 8.9 earthquake. Tepco's
last safety test of nuclear power plant Number 1- one that is currently in danger of
meltdown - was done at a seismic magnitude the company considered the highest possible,
but in fact turned out to be lower than Friday's quake. The information comes from the
company's "Fukushima No. 1 and No. 2 Updated Safety Measures" documents written in
Japanese in 2010 and 2009. The documents were reviewed by Dow Jones.

The company said in the documents that 7.9 was the highest magnitude for which
they tested the safety for their No. 1 and No. 2 nuclear power plants in Fukushima.

And what is the difference in handling a worse-case 7.9 versus an 8.9 event???

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moment_magnitude_scale

In the moment magnitude (replacing Richter) scale, an order of "one" results in a 32 times more powerful event, as the scale is logarithmic - like, for example, the decibel scale. So....."Oops!"

 

[Gatorubet]

http://www.tepco.co.jp/en/press/corp-com/release/11031305-e.html

All 6 units of Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station have been shut down.

Unit 1(Shut down)
- Reactor has been shut down. However, the unit is under inspection due to
the explosive sound and white smoke that was confirmed after the big
quake occurred at 3:36PM.
- We have been injecting sea water and boric acid which absorbs neutron
into the reactor core.

Unit 2(Shut down)
- Reactor has been shut down and Reactor Core Isolation Cooling System has
been injecting water to the reactor. Current reactor water level is lower
than normal level, but the water level is steady. After fully securing
safety, we are preparing to implement a measure to reduce the pressure of
the reactor containment vessels under the instruction of the national
government.

Unit 3(Shut down)
- Reactor has been shut down. However, High Pressure Core Injection System
has been automatically shut down and water injection to the reactor is
currently interrupted. We are examining alternative way to inject water.
Also, following the instruction by the government and with fully securing
safety, steps to lowering the pressure of reactor containment vessel has
been taken. Spraying in order to lower pressure level within the reactor
containment vessel has been cancelled.
- Currently, we do not believe there is any reactor coolant leakage inside
the reactor containment vessel.

Unit 4 (shut down due to regular inspection)
- Reactor has been shut down and sufficient level of reactor coolant to
ensure safety is maintained.
- Currently, we do not believe there is any reactor coolant leakage inside
the reactor containment vessel.

Unit 5 (outage due to regular inspection)
- Reactor has been shut down and sufficient level of reactor coolant to
ensure safety is maintained.
- Currently, we do not believe there is any reactor coolant leakage inside
the reactor containment vessel.

Unit 6 (outage due to regular inspection)
- Reactor has been shut down and sufficient level of reactor coolant to
ensure safety is maintained.
- Currently, we do not believe there is any reactor coolant leakage inside
the reactor containment vessel

 

[Gatorubet]

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YILZtn6ERYs"]YouTube - Japanese Fukushima 1 reactor outer containment building explosion 12 March 2011[/ame]

Explosion at .11 seconds. Hydrogen build up likely leaked into the secondary containment building from HVAC, etc., mixed with oxygen and some spark caused by new tremor or workers or electrical on/off issue set the mother off.

Even after all of that, 8.9 earthquake and explosion destroying the secondary containment building surrounding the reactor vessel, the primary containment vessel is still there, intact, and the system is able to flood the reactor with boronated sea water. Amazing. Kudos, design engineers for the main vessel.

 

[Bucknut24]

with all 6 being shutdown, does that mean the biggest threat of the nuclear plants is over? Or can something bad still happen with those

 

[utgrad73]

YouTube - Japanese Fukushima 1 reactor outer containment building explosion 12 March 2011

Explosion at .11 seconds. Hydrogen build up likely leaked into the secondary containment building from HVAC, etc., mixed with oxygen and some spark caused by new tremor or workers or electrical on/off issue set the mother off.

Even after all of that, 8.9 earthquake and explosion destroying the secondary containment building surrounding the reactor vessel, the primary containment vessel is still there, intact, and the system is able to flood the reactor with boronated sea water. Amazing. Kudos, design engineers for the main vessel.

Hydrogen has a high diffusivity meaning it mixes and "diffuses" rapidly in confined spaces. NRC has saftey systems and all, but that source of ignition may have been the exposed core. Hydrogen has three times more power (HHV) than natural gas. It's rare to see an explosion of that magnitude.

 

[muffler dragon]

My heart goes out to those living in Japan and any other areas greatly affected by this earthquake.

In Oregon, we saw the effects come on Friday. There was some damage in Brookings and Coos Bay. The following shows photos from those two areas as well as Crescent City, CA:

http://photos.oregonlive.com/photo-essay/2011/03/southern_oregon_tsunami_damage.html

There were video cameras set up to show the wave coming in throughout the area. As I understand it, there were surges of about 6-8 feet.

 

[CentralMOBuck]

Japan Earthquake: before and after images

 

[Mike80]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/03/12/japan-earthquake-2011-nuclear-meltdown-threat_n_835002.html



http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703555404576195700301455480.html
WSJ-


And what is the difference in handling a worse-case 7.9 versus an 8.9 event???

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moment_magnitude_scale

In the moment magnitude (replacing Richter) scale, an order of "one" results in a 32 times more powerful event, as the scale is logarithmic - like, for example, the decibel scale. So....."Oops!"

I wonder if those tests only tested the structural strength because I don't think that was actually compromised. IF the test did not include the cooling/electrical systems, perhaps the test needed to be reformatted.

 

[scooter1369]

And Gaia is not done with Japan

Volcano Erupts in Southern Japan

A volcano in south-western Japan has erupted after nearly two weeks of relative silence, sending ash and rocks up to four kilometres into the air, a local official said.

It was not immediately clear if the eruption was a direct result of the massive 8.9-magnitude earthquake that rocked northern areas on Friday, unleashing a fierce tsunami and sparking fears that more than 10,000 may have been killed.

The 1,421-metre Shinmoedake volcano in the Kirishima range saw its first major eruption for 52 years in January.

There had not been any major activity at the site since March 1.

Authorities have maintained a volcano warning at a level of three out of five, restricting access to the entire mountain.