8.9 Magnitude Earthquake Hits Japan

[LEAFfan]

Yes, an 8.9 is 10x stronger than a 7.9, which is 10x stronger than a 6.9 - which would make an 8.9 quake 10x10x stronger than a 6.9. And 10x10 is ... 100. Exactly what drees said. So what exactly are you correcting here?

I was just breaking it down into smaller numbers in case some people didn't know how they arrived at the 100X number.

 

[JRP3]

Not good...

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Nuke-plant-trouble-after-apf-1121920057.html?x=0&sec=topStories&pos=4&asset=&ccode=

No it's not. And it does not bode well for those who propose "safe nuclear" when the Japanese, who arguably should have been one of the most prepared societies to handle the effects of earthquake on nuclear infrastructure, don't get it right. :shock:

They had a backup, but the diesel generators were put of of service with the tsunami. Hopefully, people in the USA will learn from this with our nuclear reactors.

This is why we need to push for LFTRs, Liquid Fluoride Thorium Reactors. They operate at atmospheric pressure, so no high pressure systems to fail, they are self regulating, and when power is lost the reaction shuts itself down. They also produce very little waste that with very short half lives. Many other good reasons to use this system, probably the only reason we don't is because of the legacy of the cold war. LFTR's don't produce bomb grade products.

 

[DaveinOlyWA]

reports of explosions at the nuclear plant. the building housing the reactor has been destroyed. this is not looking good.

 

[Herm]

They dont mention it but I think the containment building blew up, they are now filling up the steel reactor with sea water.. I think this plant is scrapped now.

http://af.reuters.com/article/energyOilNews/idAFTKZ00680620110312

"The nuclear reactor is surrounded by a steel reactor container, which is then surrounded by a concrete building," Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano said.

"The concrete building collapsed. We found out that the reactor container inside didn't explode."

 

[evnow]

Here is a good place to see what experts say about reactor.

http://bravenewclimate.com/2011/03/12/japan-nuclear-earthquake/

 

[ttweed]

And yes, an 8.9 is huge, but the one coming to CA will be around an 11.

Where are you getting this information? I have never heard anyone predict a magnitude 11 quake in CA. The largest earthquake ever recorded in the world is a 9.5 in Chile in 1960. In theory, there is no limit to the scale, but the actual geometry and geology of any known fault or subduction zone in the world does not allow for an event larger than 10 without some outside force such as an asteroid impact or something similar contributing to it, according to experts.

From what I have read, no temblor greater than a magnitude 8 is ever likely in California, due to the nature of the faults here. This is from the U.S. Geological Survey folks:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/03/12/MN961I9FJ8.DTL

TT

 

[Glenn]

And yes, an 8.9 is huge, but the one coming to CA will be around an 11.

I didn't see an emoticon, so I'm not sure if you were serious or not, but it's highly unlikely California will ever see an earthquake of this magnitude, though that's not to say there won't be incredible damage regardless of the size.

Earthquakes the size of the one that struck Japan on Friday are highly unlikely ever to hit the California coast, but smaller quakes along the San Andreas or Hayward faults could prove just as devastating, experts say.

No temblor greater than a magnitude 8 is ever likely in California, say scientists at the U.S. Geological Survey in Menlo Park.

The San Andreas, which runs for some 810 miles from Cape Mendocino to the Salton Sea, is the state's most dangerous fault because the magnitude of any earthquake is primarily dependent on the length of a fault's rupture zone, explained Ross Stein, a geophysicist at the USGS.

But the north and south segments of the fault are separated by a central stretch of about 100 miles between Hollister and Parkfield in Monterey County, and it is that section that should prevent any earthquake as powerful as the one that struck Japan on Friday. In the Hollister-Parkfield segment, the brittle rock of the Earth's upper crust "is lubricated like talcum powder," Stein said. The result, he said, is a steady creeping motion that acts to relieve the constant buildup of stress within the fault that otherwise could trigger a major temblor along the entire length of the fault.

http://tinyurl.com/4kvcpb5

Glenn

 

[evnow]

I've started a new thread to specifically discuss the Nuclear Power Plant mishaps related to the earthquake.

http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=2980&start=0

 

[gascant]

Earthquakes the size of the one that struck Japan on Friday are highly unlikely ever to hit the California coast, but smaller quakes along the San Andreas or Hayward faults could prove just as devastating, experts say.

I've been pretty low key about the earthquake prospects in California since I moved here in '97. I just figure that, if the Hayward fault goes, I'll be living on an island, and if the San Andreas goes, I'll have ocean-front property.

But this is nothing compared to what the people in Japan just went through. My "month of April 2011" hardly seems to be a problem in times like this.

 

[evnow]

I've been pretty low key about the earthquake prospects in California since I moved here in '97. I just figure that, if the Hayward fault goes, I'll be living on an island, and if the San Andreas goes, I'll have ocean-front property.

Talking about the property - do you guys have earthquake insurance ?

 

[gascant]

I've been pretty low key about the earthquake prospects in California since I moved here in '97. I just figure that, if the Hayward fault goes, I'll be living on an island, and if the San Andreas goes, I'll have ocean-front property.

Talking about the property - do you guys have earthquake insurance ?

We can buy earthquake insurance through the state, though it's relatively expensive. My wife and I made a conscious decision not to get it because we can afford to rebuild if something ever happens. The last time I checked the deductible was $30k.

 

[evnow]

There was some chatter about how this earthquake was expected - given the quake in NewZealand. Wonder if there is such a connection between CA & WA ...

 

[ENIAC]

There was some chatter about how this earthquake was expected - given the quake in NewZealand. Wonder if there is such a connection between CA & WA ...

I'm no expert here, but the northwest is part of the Cascadia subduction zone which isn't related to California, which is primarily effected by the Pacific plate.

 

[ENIAC]

I understand many new Nissan vehicles were destroyed on the dock as a result of the tsunami. I hope no LEAFs were lost. Be sure to check out the video. For some reason a couple of dozen vehicles are burning on the dock.
http://www.autoblog.com/2011/03/11/tsunami-in-japan-destroys-fleet-of-cars-ready-for-shipping/

 

[ENIAC]

Someone posted a fairly hi-res photo of the Nissan dock. I used my photo tools to zoom in and examined the detail. There are a lot of Nissan Z's, sedans, and SUVs destroyed, but I didn't identify any LEAFs. Even where the vehicles are piled up I could make out enough of the vehicles to know they weren't LEAFs. But of course we may be seeing only a portion of the dock. So this is not to say no LEAFs were destroyed. It's interesting that a lot of vehicles have their lights on. i wonder why that is? Clearly this is horrible for Nissan and will likely impact scaling the LEAF in 2011.

 

[sdbmania]

I am impressed with how well the Japanese people have been handling this situation. There doesn't seem to be any riots or looting or stories of any other violence. I really feel for them and being in California I know what it's like to be in an earthquake, but I can't imagine having to deal with tsunamis too.

My thoughts are with the Japanese.

 

[abasile]

Talking about the property - do you guys have earthquake insurance ?

I think it's too expensive for the coverage, so no, we don't have it. Instead, we have invested in structural reinforcement where appropriate. This has included adding sheer paneling, making sure that structures are adequately bolted to their foundations, and reinforcing foundations. (Besides our house, we have rentals.) Even in a large earthquake, the odds of our structures surviving intact are not too bad. If there is damage, it's most likely to be below the deductible of an earthquake policy. If necessary, we should be able to draw from savings and/or secure financing for repairs or rebuilding.

California earthquake hazard/shaking prediction maps:
http://www.conservation.ca.gov/cgs/information/publications/ms/Documents/MS48_revised.pdf
http://redirect.conservation.ca.gov/cgs/rghm/pshamap/pshamain.html

 

[Coffee_Slurry]

Someone posted a fairly hi-res photo of the Nissan dock. I used my photo tools to zoom in and examined the detail. There are a lot of Nissan Z's, sedans, and SUVs destroyed, but I didn't identify any LEAFs.

Right. The dock in the video is at Port of Hitachi (Ibaraki).
Coordinates for Google Earth:
36°28'54.20" N 140°37'19.50" E

These were cars from the Tochigi factory, destined for the US as well.
Estimates are about 1,300 cars, which matters not at all right about now.

I can't wrap my head around something of this magnitude.

 

[walterbays]

I can't wrap my head around something of this magnitude.

Me neither. 100 times bigger than the Loma Prieta quake. After that one for months I could feel every aftershock that occurred, even very small ones, plus many more aftershocks that didn't occur.

This is a terrible disaster but it is amazing that Japan has withstood it so well. Some is due to the location of the epicenter. Kobe was much worse positioned, though it was much less powerful. Some may be due to lessons learned from Kobe.

 

[ENIAC]

I can't wrap my head around something of this magnitude.

Me neither. 100 times bigger than the Loma Prieta quake. After that one for months I could feel every aftershock that occurred, even very small ones, plus many more aftershocks that didn't occur.

I was in that quake and you're right, the aftershocks went on forever. It was almost like torture. I began standing new pencils upright on their erasers as a feedback mechanism. The real aftershocks would topple the pencil whereas the one in my head obviously wouldn't.