What's new

9.0 Earthquake/Tsunami/Fukushima

8bf07d10cbf84cc4bf3f6c2fbf1f7598_500-1.jpg


Whirlpool off of Oari City, Ibaraki Prefecture. The death toll has gone beyond 300 now, and more than 500 people have been reported missing. Let's hope that those missing people are found alive!

On a more personal note in regards to this disaster: I'm probably not going to be sleeping until later tonight. Japan is a great country and I've spent many years interested and intrigued by it. The devastation caused by the earthquake and ensuing tsunami has torn me up. It's my hope that the death toll doesn't get much higher, although the probability of that being the case seems slim as search & rescue teams get to the areas heavily affected by it. And yet, no matter how badly all of this seems, it pales in comparison to the devastation caused by the Haiti earthquake, and the Indian Ocean tsunami/earthquake in 2004. Those are the perfect example of why the Japanese government has been incredibly smart to prepare for such a disaster. The fact that the earthquake occurred 80 miles off the northeastern coast of Japan was a massive amount of luck. I shudder to think of the damage that could have been caused had it occurred closer to a major metropolitan area such as Tokyo. I am incredibly relieved that it wasn't the case, and yet my heart is swollen with sadness for those who have lost their homes, businesses, friends, family, or their own lives.

Please hope for the best, everyone. Everyone needs to realize what a massive amount of energy is released with a 8.9 magnitude earthquake. No matter how horrible it turns out to be as the day goes on, it could have been so much worse had the Japanese people not taken the measures it had to ensure minimal loss of human life. From earthquake drills to the measures taken in regards to building stability in such events, it's all helped minimize the loss of life today.

5b4845856bfc434c8db4824a6814734a_500-1.jpg


Damage after an earthquake in Iwaki, Fukushima prefecture. A house used to stand behind where the man is.
 
The death toll is expected to be well above 1,000 as search & rescue teams gauge the areas heavily affected by the tsunami & earthquake.

Update: It's been reported that the pressure inside one of the reactors at the Fukushima power plant is rising. The good news is that the area started evacuating hours ago. There's hope in that, but a radiation leak is never any good.
 
Is the first picture Real ? OMG ! i'm shocked...

It is entirely real, Hezam. Here's another of a fire breaking out in Natori City, Miyagi Prefecture. I'm looking all over for more information on the escalated situation at the Fukushima nuclear power plant.

natoricity-1.jpg


Update: As I said earlier, the situation at the Fukushima nuclear power plant was not contained as was previously reported. The pressure is indeed rising despite efforts from the United States and the Japanese government. The power grid is already screwed up, the coolant isn't helping, and the outlook seems dire. The possibility of a radiation leak is very high. The Japanese government is doing everything it can to contain the situation, but there's a lack of power to the emergency cooling system. This isn't good at all, so please hope for the best with this situation. Japan does not need a radiation leak in addition to the horrific devastation that has already been dealt.

Update #2: The Japanese government will be releasing radioactive vapor outside the reactor in an attempt to lessen the pressure building inside it. That is obviously a temporary fix, and one I doubt is going to help long term. This is just horrifying. It was already terrible, but this? This is unimaginable. Everything that could go bad has gone bad, so let's just hope a meltdown does not occur.

Update #3: An estimated 80,000 people are missing following the tsunami & earthquake. That does not bode well for the death toll being low. Also, the pressure inside the Fukushima Daiichi #1 reactor is reported to be about 1.5 times more than normal. They are definitely going to release some amount of radioactive vapor in an attempt to lessen the pressure building inside. Japan has declared a state of atomic power emergency in response to this.

Update #4: Reuters has reported that another earthquake has hit northern Japan. The preliminary magnitude is 6.6, will post more on this as more information becomes available. A 7.9 magnitude earthquake has hit central Japan, not to be confused with the 6.6 magnitude earthquake in northern Japan. Will post more as information becomes available.

Update #5: One person out of four people swept out to sea in Crescent City, California have been confirmed to have died. A number of boats and houses have been damaged & destroyed. The former mention is somewhat appalling to me! How many hours have they had in warning? Any death with so much warning is questionable, yet regrettable.

Update #6: The U.S. Geological Survey has reported that the 8.9 magnitude quake earlier has apparently ruptured our planet's crust, creating a hole around 150 miles long; 50 miles across. What the hell does that mean!? Will update as more information becomes available.

Update #7(2:22 PM CST): The Japanese Trade Ministry has reported that pressure inside the Fukushima reactor may have risen to 2.1 times designed capacity. A French news agency on the ground in Japan has reported that the dam breaking I mentioned earlier did in fact occur, and that several neighborhoods in the area were washed away in the ensuing flood. To make matters worse, it's reported that 10 separate reactors throughout the area affected have stopped working. I have no idea what that means, but I will update as more information becomes available(Will try to differentiate between being safely shut down and malfunctioning as in the Fukushima Daiichi's #1 reactor's case).

note: adding timestamp to all future updates.

Update #8(2:28 PM CST): Reports of losing contact with four commuter trains in the area affected have come in.

Update #9(2:58 PM CST): Earthquake in the Nagano prefecture has been confirmed. The magnitude is not yet confirmed but is exceeding 6.0 on the moment magnitude scale. It's been confirmed by the Kyodo news agency that at least 88,000 people are missing following the 8.9 magnitude earthquake and the events that ensued.

Update #10(3:14 PM CST): The following is an excerpt from the Reuters factbox regarding U.S. Navy vessels being positioned for earthquake and tsunami relief. USS ESSEX, (an amphibious assault vessel -- complement: 1,200 (Navy) 1,800 (Marines) with the embarked 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, arrived in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia, this morning. The ship is making preparations to depart as early as Friday evening. USS BLUE RIDGE (command and control ship -- complement: approximately 1,500 all Navy), which arrived in Singapore this morning, is loading a Humanitarian Assistance/Disaster Relief kit and making preparations to depart Saturday morning. The USS BOXER Amphibious Ready Group, which includes:
  • USS BOXER (amphibious assault ship complement: 1,174 Navy, 2,070 Marines).
  • USS GREEN BAY (amphibious transport dock - complement: approximately 360 crew -- can deliver a force of approximately 800 Marines).
  • USS COMSTOCK (amphibious dock landing ship - complement: approximately 347 Navy crew and approximately 400 Marines), is currently at sea in the Western Pacific en route to a scheduled replenishment in Guam."

International aid is coming as quickly as it can, and I'm certain Japanese agencies and groups have been working tirelessly since the earthquake occurred to help.
 
Last edited:
Havent been on this forum for a number of years now, but certainly terrible news. Hopefully the jrefers come through this
 
Havent been on this forum for a number of years now, but certainly terrible news. Hopefully the jrefers come through this

There has been no news on any JREF members in the areas affected by this disaster. If anyone knows of any JREF members in the areas affected, please let us know.

Update(3:36 PM CST)
: Evacuation of the area around the Fukushima nuclear power plant has increased to 10 km from 3 km. It's been confirmed that they are releasing radioactive vapors into the area outside of the Fukushima Daiichi #1 reactor, just enough to relieve some pressure, but I'm feeling that it's a small amount. This Scientific American article extrapolates on how to cool a nuclear reactor, so what they're doing right now seems like a measure to temporarily lower the pressure inside the reactor. The power grid in the area has been hit hard, and they can't get the emergency cooling system online, and the main system was damaged in the 8.9 magnitude earthquake earlier, so the situation is becoming grim. The Kyodo news agency is saying the radiation level is eight times the normal amount outside the main gates of the Fukushima nuclear power plant.

Update #10.1(3:44 PM CST)
: RPT is reporting that the radiation level is 1,000 times higher than normal near the Fukushima nuclear power plant. I'm not entirely sure that is an accurate number. That's a massive spike!
 
God.. Ok now I'm worried about that plant..

I'm hearing quite a bit of speculation on the matter of the radiation outside of the Fukushima nuclear power plant. Normal is not being defined. What is 1,000 times the normal amount? Is the normal level around 1 mrem? If so, the radiation level will be around 1 rem. An acute whole-body dose of under 50 rem will produce nothing other than blood changes. 50 to 200 rem may cause illness but will rarely be fatal. Doses of 200 to 1000 rem will likely cause serious illness with poor outlook at the upper end of the range. Doses of more than 1000 rems are almost invariably fatal(From Wikipedia). But I'm seriously doubting that the normal level is one rem, as 1,000 rems supposedly being the radiation level outside plant would be fatal and one of the worst case scenarios. Y'know what I mean? It's probably 1 rem out there at most and nowhere near dangerous yet.

In other news: Sunrise has come to Japan. The water has not yet receded, and there are still fires burning throughout the areas affected by the 8.9 magnitude earthquake and ensuing tsunami. And the USS Ronald Reagan super carrier is apparently coming to aid in the Japanese relief effort. The picture below is of the USS Ronald Reagan. It is an old picture, as the ship has not yet arrived in Japan, but is in the Pacific.

800pxUSSRONALDREAGANgoodshot-1.jpg


I'm also confused about whether or not Japan received the coolant requested/offered. It's being said that they declined that offer. Not unlikely that Japan wouldn't have their own coolant laying about, y'know?
 
I hope that means they have it under control, apparently it'll take 2 days for the reactor to cool down completely
 
I hope that means they have it under control, apparently it'll take 2 days for the reactor to cool down completely

Here's the last paragraph in that Scientific American article.

Scientific American said:
How long does it take to cool down a reactor?
There are design specific variables there. The easiest way to answer that question is that NRC regulatory requirements for emergency power supplies is that they be available on the order of a month. You can render a plant in an acceptable condition within a few hours. However, heat is still being generated. If you had to stop, at any point, carrying away that heat, it would start building up again. Emergency cooling systems have to be available for weeks.

So, it seems they could make the plant an acceptable condition without a few hours, but would take weeks if they had to stop carrying away the heat produced by the reactor at any point. The emergency cooling systems would have to be available for weeks. I'm not entirely sure what is going on with nuclear power plant at this moment. Reuters isn't reporting any updates, and the television networks I've been watching are repeating themselves now. Yet, I've heard that all control over the pressure in the reactor has been lost. I'm waiting on a confirmation on that. Will let y'all know!
 
FWIW,
Things up here in Hokkaido are all right. Can't speak for the coast, but my city is far enough inland. It was a magnitude around 4 for us. Enough to feel it shake a few things, but not enough to knock anything off shelves or walls.

Let's not post videos, ok? The thread could be hard to navigate with them. No speculations, either.
 
Mike HalfnHalf I believe is in Sendai.

That nuclear plant issue does worry me quite abit as well.
 
FWIW,
Things up here in Hokkaido are all right. Can't speak for the coast, but my city is far enough inland. It was a magnitude around 4 for us. Enough to feel it shake a few things, but not enough to knock anything off shelves or walls.
Let's not post videos, ok? The thread could be hard to navigate with them. No speculations, either.

Speculation should be frowned upon, yes. I'm working hard to confirm everything I'm posting. I've been updating this thread since 1:37 AM CST. It's now 4:58 PM CST. Everything I'm posting is being vigorously researched, questioned, and either edited or confirmed. I might hit the hay soon, been up for far too long, but this is just too important to sleep through. Japan means a lot to me.

I'm glad your area wasn't damaged, Glenski!

Mike HalfnHalf I believe is in Sendai.

That nuclear plant issue does worry me quite abit as well.

I hope she's okay if she was in Sendai when it hit. If you see pictures of an airport underwater following the tsunami, that would be the Sendai Airport. Indeed, Sendai was heavily damaged by the earthquake & ensuing tsunami. I'm hoping that she's okay. I'm going to bed now, I apologize in advance if any of the information I've gathered is proven to be exaggerated or false. I'm been gathering it from FOX News, CNN, BBC, and Reuters. Most of it has been confirmed though.

It's my hope that this thread has made it easier for JREF members to get more information on the earthquake & tsunami. *sigh* I think I don't want to go to bed because I'm afraid of what I will read and see when I wake up, but it can't be helped. With that said, my best wishes and hopes go out to the Japanese people and all those affected by this disaster. Please try to confirm everything you post as much as you can. We don't need any scares!
 
Thanks thor, you have made keeping up with todays events much easier. sleep well, we will try to keep this thread up to your standards.

For those of you who have not yet seen, google has a records site up to help people locate their families and friends.
Our work | Google.org
 
I've been long absent from the forum even though many people here are dear to me, but have been watching BBC News 24 all day long.

It only really sank in a couple of hours ago (until then it was like a surreal dream), and that I'm in heavy shock, and I am halfway around the world.

I hardly dare follow the news anymore tonight for what I might find out now day has dawned in my beloved Japan, but I care so much about Japan, and the people there (including you all of course), I have to be brave.

Glenski, I agree speculation should be avoided, but video links can only be good information or helpful.

You are all in my heart, and I will be keeping a very close eye on here over the coming days and weeks.
 
I reached the house in the safety.
I returned on foot from the company to a house.
I walked for four hours,It was very cold.
In Tokyo, a small earthquake still continues several times.
Because the office was the 19th floor of the building, the building shook very much.
We saw that a fire occurred in the Shinagawa area.
However, the fire was deleted immediately.
The railroad of Tokyo restored this morning.
 
Glad to hear you area alright Hiroyuki Nagashima! It must have been petrifying being on the 19th floor.

There are still so many after shocks, you can see them in the interactive maps on the Japan Meteorological Agency:
気象庁|統合地図ページ
 
I'm glad many of my friends, JREF friends, and family are ok. Still haven't heard from a few. I cannot stop watching the live feed from TBS and am amazed at the number of aftershocks that keep popping up on the feed. My heart goes out to the people of Sendai and those affected by the quake and tsunami.
 
I wish I could be on the next plane to Japan to help. I hate knowing there are people in need of help and I can't do anything. My friend in japan told me she and her family are okay. That's a big weight off my mind, but I'll ask the gods to help the people of Japan. Let's hope to hear from more of our Jref brothers and sisters in Japan!
 
Update #6: The U.S. Geological Survey has reported that the 8.9 magnitude quake earlier has apparently ruptured our planet's crust, creating a hole around 150 miles long; 50 miles across. What the hell does that mean!? Will update as more information becomes available.
They're not talking about a hole; they're describing the size of the fault zone which had previously been locked but "broke" (ruptured) when the earthquake happened.

An earthquake fault can be thought of as like a closed crack between two huge masses of rock. So it is approximately a two-dimensional surface, but extremely rough. Since there are many miles of rock overlying this "crack", the pressures are massive, and the "crack" is held closed. (In reality, the fault is not a simple crack, but a relatively thin zone of cracked and weakened rock. However, this doesn't change its basic behavior. It's still held closed under pressure.)

If the fault is active, outside forces are trying to push the two masses of rock past one another. But because of the roughness in the fault crack and the pressure holding it closed, it has a lot of friction which prevents the rock masses from moving. So the forces pushing them only build up stress; imagine bending or twisting a solid metal bar for a sense of what is happening in the rock. Eventually so much stress builds up that the fault crack's friction can't support it any longer, and instead of remaining locked, it ruptures. (Again, think of twisting the metal bar, except that the bar already has a crack which is glued together; it's going to break at this weak point.)

This fault rupture only happens within a certain area on the fault, and it's the size of that rupture zone which the USGS is describing. As you can see, the rupture zone is really huge for a massive quake like this one. The fault in this earthquake is basically like a giant ramp where Japan is being pushed over the Pacific ocean floor, so it slopes downward (deeper into the earth) toward the west. What the USGS was describing was a rupture zone extending 150 miles along the fault to the north and south and 50 miles to the east and west, sloping deeper toward the west.

Once this fault rupture happens, the rock masses on either side slip along the rupture zone, relieving their stress. (Thinking again of the metal bar you are twisting; if it breaks, the ends of the two halves will now be free to untwist themselves.) The fault then re-locks, and the stress will again build up gradually over decades or centuries. In reality, the process of rupture, slipping, and relieving stress is really messy, especially for a huge quake like this, which is why there are so many aftershocks in this case.

Hope that helps make things a little clearer.
 
I wish I could be on the next plane to Japan to help. I hate knowing there are people in need of help and I can't do anything. My friend in japan told me she and her family are okay. That's a big weight off my mind, but I'll ask the gods to help the people of Japan. Let's hope to hear from more of our Jref brothers and sisters in Japan!
I wish I could help as well, but there's nothing I can do at the moment than just watching TV. If I had no family or job, I maybe could have gone there to help out. Does anyone know how we could help at this moment, or in later stages?


p.s. It makes me wonder why the indian guy didn't predicted this earthquake.😌
 
Last edited:
All is well here in Shizuoka so far. Local trains are still stopped and highways closed though. Stocked up on supplies and keeping fingers crossed this does not get any worse by somehow triggering the long dreaded Tokai Earthquake.
 
I reached the house in the safety.
I returned on foot from the company to a house.
I walked for four hours,It was very cold.
In Tokyo, a small earthquake still continues several times.
Because the office was the 19th floor of the building, the building shook very much.
We saw that a fire occurred in the Shinagawa area.
However, the fire was deleted immediately.
The railroad of Tokyo restored this morning.

I'm glad you're okay, Niroyuki Nagashima! If anyone hears from HalfnHalf, let us know in this thread! :<

b85ee4ffff004c11b4424736555d2385_500-1.jpg


One of the trains destroyed by the 8.9 magnitude earthquake/tsunami. Reports of people injured at the Fukushima nuclear plant have come in. Waiting for a confirmation.
 
Back
Top Bottom