Major Earthquake & Tsunami in Japan

[Omnis]

Radiation levels might be too extreme for them to consider it as a viable option in future.

Radiation levels are higher than normal but are not yet dangerous.

 

[G.T.Ace]

#
2042: Professor Patrick Regan, radiation and environmental protection expert from Surrey University, has told the BBC that it appears none of the secure vessels holding radioactive material at the reactors in Japan has broken, and "it looks like the worst is over".

#
2044: Professor Regan said when they vented the first reactor at Fukushima on Saturday - triggering the explosion at the plant - "that vapour would almost certainly have had a little bit of radioactive material called nitrogen 16 - which is in all reactors. That decays away very quickly, in 5 to 10 seconds, but if some of the fuel rods - which appears to have been the case - were compromised, some of the radioactive material from the fuel would have got into the steam and that would also have been taken out." So a key question seems to be to what extent the fuel rods had begun to melt down.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12307698

 

[Leo Messi]

So what happened with that town of 10000 citizens that went under the water?

 

[DK]

I've been shown a screencap of about 50 American status updates claiming the Tsunami is revenge for Pearl Harbor., how they deserve it. No trolls.

Amazing.

They need to get over it. There has already been enough "revenge" for Pearl Harbour, but I guess these people have no knowledge of history except for attacks against America.

 

[Tired Tyres]

I've been shown a screencap of about 50 American status updates claiming the Tsunami is revenge for Pearl Harbor., how they deserve it. No trolls.

Amazing.

That is truly disgusting. Is it any wonder so many people in the rest of the world hate American's so much. It's just a shame that sensible American's voices never seem to be heard.

 

[Omnis]

You realize that 50 americans out of the entire population is like a pin prick on a piss drop in the pacific ocean, right?

 

[Tired Tyres]

Yes, I know. The trouble is that America is such a big country with a 300 Million plus population that in order to be heard you have to shout very loud and it tends to be the more extreme views that shout the loudest of all and get the most notice.

On topic

2227: Radiation levels at Fukushima 1 nuclear plant have again topped legal limits, Kyodo News network says

 

[Ardius]

I doubt anyone is going to care about idiots posting idiotic comments on facebook or twitter or whatever. Neither should we.

 

[Solid Lifters]

That is truly disgusting. Is it any wonder so many people in the rest of the world hate American's so much. It's just a shame that sensible American's voices never seem to be heard.

No, it's a shame that the rest of the world only listen to the idiots.

 

[Nielsen]

Radiation levels currently above legal limits at Fukushima plant.

http://english.kyodonews.jp/news/2011/03/77515.html

 

[MatskiMonk]

No, it's a shame that the rest of the world only listen to the idiots.

The rest of the world doesn't only listen to idiots, but modern social networking gives idiots a voice the world can hear.

 

[G.T.Ace]

Radiation levels currently above legal limits at Fukushima plant.

http://english.kyodonews.jp/news/2011/03/77515.html

No reason for panic, even the legal limits are very low compared to a dangerous dose for a bigger area. It's jumping over the limit and back again all the time, which should mean that there's no big leak actually.

 

[Sir Tuddle]

I've been shown a screencap of about 50 American status updates claiming the Tsunami is revenge for Pearl Harbor., how they deserve it. No trolls.

Amazing.

I hate those pro American bigots that have the nerve to do stuff like this. I'm admittedly not too fond of Japan either, but even i know that this is undeniably one of the most inappropriate things to say at a time like this

 

[Omnis]

Doesn't the could-be-leaking Cesium byproduct only have a 2 year half-life? It's not the 30-year isotope is it?

By the way, the next person to talk about "American bigotry" will get a warning.

 

[G.T.Ace]

No idea what the stuff is, it could've been just some more vapor and the gauges gave alert "too quickly".

#
2330: The experts interviewed by Reuters warn it is still far too early to definitively say the day has been saved, especially as the information from the power company and the authorities is incomplete. But they say that with every hour that goes by, the chances of a major catastrophe are diminished - as long as water from the sea or elsewhere keeps reactor cores from overheating. Japanese authorities "appear to be having enough success to have forestalled a definite core melt accident that's difficult to control", said Mark Hibbs of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. "After three days that is very good news." But still, he added, it is "a touch-and-go situation".

 

[Dotini]

http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2010/27jul_spacequakes/
Spacequakes are discussed.

From today's edition of Spaceweather .com:
CAUTIONARY TALE: Today is the 22nd anniversary of the Quebec Blackout. On March 13, 1989, a geomagnetic storm brought down Hydro-Québec's power grid and blacked out the entire province. Brownouts and other power irregularities were experienced across much of North America. Today's "smart power grids" are even more vulnerable because they are interconnected by high voltage lines spanning thousands of miles. In good times, this arrangement allows ultilities to guide power wherever it might be needed. During geomagnetic storms, however, it spreads the danger of a blackout far and wide. What we need is a Solar Shield.

SUBSIDING STORMS: The geomagnetic storms of March 10th and 11th are subsiding. Earth's magnetic field began shaking on March 10th in response to a CME impact; the reverberations continued for more than 24 hours. In Sweden the auroras were so bright, they competed with campfires:
http://spaceweather.com/

Readers may enjoy this: http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2008/30oct_ftes/

Edit: It may only be a cosmic roll of the dice but at exactly the time of the Japan earthquake, 05:46 UTC, the solar wind density, measured by the CELIAS/MTOF Proton Monitor on the SOHO Spacecraft, increased by a factor of 10. Other measured dynamics simultaneously underwent large changes at the same moment. Our planet was hit by a strong gust of solar wind, and of course the EM properties associated with it, at the minute the quake occurred.

This is the data in ascii format followed by a graph:

YR DOY:HR:MN:SC Angle Vth Density Vsw PM_Min PM_Max

2011 069:05:39:08 -1.07 18.43 4.82 294.90 117.00 13888.00
2011 069:05:41:10 -1.74 18.68 5.49 296.60 118.00 15828.00
2011 069:05:43:10 -2.01 18.83 6.18 298.00 126.00 17692.00
2011 069:05:45:12 -9.27 27.02 25.36 344.70 140.00 65912.00
2011 069:05:47:12 -9.43 25.87 49.33 336.00 199.00 112256.00
2011 069:05:49:15 -9.28 24.74 55.29 332.90 163.00 123552.00
2011 069:05:51:15 -9.10 25.54 48.25 335.90 172.00 112608.00
2011 069:05:53:15 -9.19 24.23 60.18 330.50 172.00 132960.00

Click on this to see the recorded data has an abrupt discontinuity at exactly the minute of the quake.

http://umtof.umd.edu/pm/fig350.png

The solar ejecta was associated with one of the four CME’s of March 7th and 8th, 2011

Finally: http://www.electricquakes.com/

 

[ZeGermanBastorD]

Just found a very interesting article on the german Spiegel homepage:

"Nuclear power plant operator Tepco - The cover-up company
Forged documents, fake repairs, fatal accidents: The disaster in Japan's Fukushima nuclear power plant is the culmination of a series of scandals in the operating company Tepco. The company wanted to shut down the disaster reactor reportedly this month ..." Read full article (translated with Google Translate)

Source (german): AKW-Betreiber Tepco - Die Vertuschungsfirma

 

[Milldrum]

Still thinking of you Japan. My country, Australia will do whatever it takes to help you.

Hope your ok Magumi Kitta!

 

[G.T.Ace]

Just found a very interesting article on the german Spiegel homepage:

...

Eh, all the companies are like that, just look at RWE.
Of course the situation is worse than they are telling us most of the time, but fortunately there are also other people watching that stuff.

 

[ranhammerR34]

And more aftershocks are happening as we speak.

 

[G.T.Ace]

New Tsunami on the way, estimated size ~3 meters.

EDIT:

#
0218: Column of smoke escaping from Reactor 3 at the Fukushima 1 nuclear power plant - Japanese TV.

#
0221: Urgent: Explosion at Reactor 3 - AFP.

 

[HACKr]

Two explosions apparently. I heard hydrogen. Umm, anyway, from BBC:

#
0227: There were two explosions at Reactor 3, the operator Tepco says - AFP.

 

[MatskiMonk]

0231: No data to suggest a tsunami several metres in height, the monitor adds.
0229: An ashen-faced Japanese quake monitor is live on Japanese TV right now saying no tsunami has been detected.
0227: There were two explosions at Reactor 3, the operator Tepco says - AFP.
0225: Just to remind you: there were fears of a meltdown at Reactor 3 on Sunday. Also: an explosion occurred at Reactor 1 on Saturday but the core was reportedly not exposed.
0224: "Hydrogen blast occurs at Fukushima nuke plant's No 3 reactor" - Kyodo.
0221: Urgent: Explosion at Reactor 3 - AFP.
0220: Sea level has dropped five metres off Fukushima, confirming imminent arrival of tsunami - Japanese TV.

 

[G.T.Ace]

Tsunami warning lifted again it seems.

EDIT: Too late.

 

[MatskiMonk]

0232: Update on the explosion(s) at Reactor 3: "We believe it was a hydrogen explosion. It is not immediately known if it affected the reactor" - nuclear safety agency spokesman Ryo Miyake.

 

[G.T.Ace]

What I find more worrying than the blast(s) is the smoke at #1.
The smoke must come out of the reactor, since there's nothing anymore around it or not?

#
0239: The 600 people still living within 20km of the plant where the explosion(s) occurred are ordered to get inside buildings - Kyodo.

#
0242: Reactor 3 withstood the explosion(s), its operator says - Japanese news agency Jiji.

#
0243: Japanese government spokesman Yukio Edano has just spoken on TV. Says that water injection at Reactor 3 seems to be continuing, and the containment vessel is still safe.

 

[prisonermonkeys]

Jesus. It's not every day you see a nuclear power plant blow up. Now I've seen two in as many days.

 

[Ken]

This almost made me cry.

 

[prisonermonkeys]

Ugh. Some of the news reporting has been downright exploitative. The eveneing news just started, and the first story was a recap of events. The reporter was clearly going for maximum impact, and just happened to find a pile of debris that contained children's toys and photographs and everything else of sentimental value. Every other shot shows piles of wood and cars and plastic and just about everything imaginable, but we're supposed to believe that the tsunami dumped a pile of sentimental artifacts right where the journalists happen to be?

Please.

 

[niky]

I woke up around 4am Friday after having nightmares of water coming in our third floor window. So when we came back from a foray to the grocery around 3pm, and I turned on the TV for a spot check of the news before I went back to the office, the shock, as you can imagine, was enormous.

Was worrisome for us, as we were* close to Japan, but the Tsunami passed us by.


*were, as in we were 8 feet closer before the quake*

---

You should watch BBC or NHK. A bit less of the over-acting you get from US networks... unless that was an NHK broadcast.

The NHK broadcasts are very somber... watching the footage from the refugee camps is like watching wartime news footage.