Earthquake and tsunami

Cam42 · 03-11-2011, 09:25 PM

Al Jazeera liveblog Live blog: Japan earthquake | Al Jazeera Blogs

**Ridley's Own** · 03-12-2011, 06:03 AM

Oh dear. No one seems to know anything about it yet, but anytime anything happens near a nuclear site I wanna stock up on canned goods.

**adamwagg** · 03-13-2011, 12:03 AM

Yeah it doesn't look great with the nuclear power plants. Something I've always worried about with nuclear power.

S.B.Nichols · 03-13-2011, 06:59 AM

As long as the reactors intact the damage should be limited. Bad, but limited. They started building these things differently after Chernobyl. Stronger, designed to explode in specific ways. Or that's what I'm told anyway.

Than · 03-15-2011, 04:14 PM

Here's a helpful infographic showing just how much radiation has leaked. All things considered, this should help show the safety and stability of nuclear reactors if anything, imo.

normajean777 · 03-15-2011, 04:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Than

Here's a helpful infographic showing just how much radiation has leaked. All things considered, this should help show the safety and stability of nuclear reactors if anything, imo.

It pains me that this will be used as an example to further deter building new nuclear plants... They want to build one here, and the residents have been fighting it like crazy. Despite being the safest, most efficient, and cheapest form of energy available to us, its insane that so many fight it. This is a terrible side effect of such a tragic event.

JerryLove · 03-15-2011, 06:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by normajean777

It pains me that this will be used as an example to further deter building new nuclear plants... They want to build one here, and the residents have been fighting it like crazy. Despite being the safest, most efficient, and cheapest form of energy available to us, its insane that so many fight it. This is a terrible side effect of such a tragic event.

I think there are lessons to be learned about avoiding potential tidal-wave (may I also suggest land-slide) sites in where to build reactors.

It's a positive note that every reactor survived the 5ht(?) largest earthwuake in recorded history. The problems with *one* site are around the failure of the backup power for the coolant system.

But really: hindsight will tell us more in the weeks and months ahead than we can really know now. If I were in the process of designing a new reactor now; I might wait a month or so to see what lessons I can take from this event.

normajean777 · 03-15-2011, 07:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JerryLove

I think there are lessons to be learned about avoiding potential tidal-wave (may I also suggest land-slide) sites in where to build reactors.

It's a positive note that every reactor survived the 5ht(?) largest earthwuake in recorded history. The problems with *one* site are around the failure of the backup power for the coolant system.

But really: hindsight will tell us more in the weeks and months ahead than we can really know now. If I were in the process of designing a new reactor now; I might wait a month or so to see what lessons I can take from this event.

Yes that is very true. But I hope we do take that as lessons, and not reasons to avoid nuclear altogether. And I say that even though my province benefits from the lack of nuclear plants, pretty much more than anyone. The news was listing how nuclear plants are being shut down everywhere to make sure that only ones that properly survive a disaster stay open. If all these nuclear plants are permanently shut down, then the likely replacement will be natural gas facilities. Alberta has massive reserves of natural gas.

Also my dad was saying that a whole bunch of nuclear plants built in the states were built directly on fault lines, because the land was cheap at the time.... Yikes... I don't have any sources for that though, I think he heard it on the radio commentary.

Ax · 03-17-2011, 01:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by normajean777

Also my dad was saying that a whole bunch of nuclear plants built in the states were built directly on fault lines, because the land was cheap at the time.... Yikes... I don't have any sources for that though, I think he heard it on the radio commentary.

Not true at all. The ones in TN are kinda close to a fault line but not directly on it, and it's not a particularly active line. The ones in Cali are but anything in Cali is on a fault line.

**dogfood** · 03-17-2011, 01:16 AM

heck we didnt even know christchurch had a fault line under it till after the earthquake.

***Pauler*** · 04-07-2011, 09:33 AM

another quake off the coast of japan...Strong Earthquake Rattles Japan; Tsunami Warning Issued : The Two-Way : NPR

JerryLove · 04-07-2011, 07:31 PM

Magnitude seven-point-something. Not nearly what the big one was.

Cam42 · 04-07-2011, 07:53 PM

7.1 Magnitude Quake-ravaged Japan rattled by new tremor - Asia-Pacific - Al Jazeera English

Apparently there's been no damage other than some misplaced train tracks and people stuck in lifts, but still.

JerryLove · 04-07-2011, 08:49 PM

There's certainly been some signifigant property damage.
There've certainly been some injuries.
There might even be a small number of deaths (even if just someone who lost balance and fell down the stairs).

But it's not much like the big one.

**adamwagg** · 04-07-2011, 09:01 PM

It does seem weird though when we refer to a 7.1 magnitude as an aftershock.... That's pretty big in its own right!