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Japan Earthquake
Posted: 11 Mar 2011, 08:31
by biffvernon
Another shock in a stressed system.
Japan's 'Lost Decade' started with the Kobe earthquake.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world/ The film of the tsunami washing houses away is about as horrific as it comes.
Posted: 11 Mar 2011, 08:40
by nexus
Yup, those were my first thoughts too. Along with hoping the human cost is as low as can be expected in the circumstances.
Posted: 11 Mar 2011, 10:18
by UndercoverElephant
There is also an oil refinery on fire....
Posted: 11 Mar 2011, 11:27
by clv101
Posted: 11 Mar 2011, 11:33
by PS_RalphW
Today is a good day to bury bad news.
I notice that the live feeds at BBC and Guardian on Libya have been dropped in favour of the quake.
We have such short attention spans. I fear Gadaffi will quietly drop out of the news in the next week or two.
We can only focus on one disaster at a time.
BBC is reporting the cooling system has failed at a nuclear plant.
Emergency declared.
Could this be a meltdown?
Posted: 11 Mar 2011, 11:36
by biffvernon
The 03/11/2011 earthquake (preliminary magnitude 8.9) near the east coast of Honshu, Japan, occurred as a result of thrust faulting on or near the subduction zone interface plate boundary between the Pacific and North America plates. At the latitude of this earthquake, the Pacific plate moves approximately westwards with respect to the North America plate at a velocity of 83 mm/yr. The Pacific plate thrusts underneath Japan at the Japan Trench, and dips to the west beneath Eurasia.
Unless Japan has recently moved to North America I think they mean Eurasian Plate?
Posted: 11 Mar 2011, 11:41
by clv101
biffvernon wrote:
The 03/11/2011 earthquake (preliminary magnitude 8.9) near the east coast of Honshu, Japan, occurred as a result of thrust faulting on or near the subduction zone interface plate boundary between the Pacific and North America plates. At the latitude of this earthquake, the Pacific plate moves approximately westwards with respect to the North America plate at a velocity of 83 mm/yr. The Pacific plate thrusts underneath Japan at the Japan Trench, and dips to the west beneath Eurasia.
Unless Japan has recently moved to North America I think they mean Eurasian Plate?
No, USGS are right. Believe it or not, that bit of Japan sits on the North American plate.
Posted: 11 Mar 2011, 11:56
by clv101
Yeah, Fukushima has six reactors online (two more under construction). It's the number 1 reactor that has the cooling problem, this is also the oldest coming online in 1971.
Posted: 11 Mar 2011, 12:40
by PS_RalphW
assessment of the quake on Japanese energy markets.
http://af.reuters.com/article/metalsNew ... WK20110311
Refineries shut down, at least one on fire. That will cut demand for crude oil. Nuclear plants donw, leading to more demand for fuel oil.
Coal stations on the coast have seen their coal stockpiles washed away by the tsunami.
Electricity supply is going to be difficult until this settles down. Not good for the Japanese economy...
Posted: 11 Mar 2011, 12:48
by Ippoippo
This really was a big one. Eventually managed to get in contact with family in the outskirts of Tokyo.
Not worried about earthquakes/tsunami there at the moment... it's that reactor up in Fukushima that worries me (that said, Fukushima is a fair distance away, about two hours by 'Shinkansen' bullet train)
Posted: 11 Mar 2011, 14:00
by biffvernon
I hereby rename the North America Plate the North America with-a pointy-bit-the-goes-all-the-way-to-Japan Plate.
Thanks Chris
Posted: 11 Mar 2011, 14:13
by PS_RalphW
Explosion at a second refinery.
Hundreds reported drowned in the Tsunami near the epicentre.
Given they had less than 10 minutes between the quake and the wave, I think you can add one or two zeros to that.
Reports of missing passenger boat and an entire train.
Posted: 11 Mar 2011, 14:19
by biffvernon
Posted: 11 Mar 2011, 15:52
by PS_RalphW
One report of 88,000 unaccounted for.
Given that the seaside town nearest the quake had 74,000 residents, I would not be surprised.
Massive fires burning in residential area.
Posted: 11 Mar 2011, 15:59
by MrG
RalphW wrote:This is a big news day, so much going wrong...
You can say that again!
