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Page added on December 7, 2012
Major quake strikes off Japan, setting off tsunami
A powerful earthquake struck off the northeast coast of Japan on Friday evening, rattling buildings in Tokyo and setting off a small tsunami.
It also jarred nerves in a nation still recovering from the devastating earthquake and tsunami in March 2011 that killed thousands of people and triggered the world’s worst nuclear crisis in a quarter century.
Some roads were closed and rail services suspended in the northeastern prefecture of Miyagi, where a one-meter (3-foot) tsunami rolled ashore. It was followed by four other waves ranging from eight to 16 inches. Only minor injuries were reported immediately, including five in Miyagi and five on the outskirts of Tokyo.
Miyagi was one of the areas that suffered the worst of the destruction from the 9.0-magnitude quake and resulting tsunami in 2011.
The weaker, 7.3-magnitude quake on Friday took place further out at sea — 462 kilometers (287 miles) east-northeast of Tokyo at a depth of 36 kilometers (22 miles) — the U.S. Geological Survey said, slightly revising the initial location it gave.
It didn’t create a widespread threat of a tsunami in the Pacific, according to the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center.
The massive earthquake and tsunami in 2011 killed more than 15,000 people in Japan. It caused the formation of 30-foot walls of water that swept away rice fields, engulfed entire towns, and tossed houses and cars onto highways.
The combined natural disasters did severe damage to the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, setting off meltdowns at reactors at the facility that contaminated a large area. No damage was reported at the country’s nuclear power facilities after Friday’s quake.
Radiation levels in fish caught near the area remain high long after the 2011 meltdowns, suggesting contamination from the site might still be seeping into Pacific waters, a U.S. researcher said in October.
Radioactive levels staying high off Fukushima
11 Comments on "Major quake strikes off Japan, setting off tsunami"
Rick on Fri, 7th Dec 2012 4:23 pm
You knew this was coming. Let’s build stupid nukes, on an island, that has earthquakes like every 10 seconds.
Also, let’s over populate our island, which has no natural resources, to speak of.
Hubbertsfreak on Fri, 7th Dec 2012 5:59 pm
Hopefully the spent fuel pools hold up. There has been lots of quake/volcanic activiy around the ring of fire this week. Not much in the MSM though.
Hugh Culliton on Fri, 7th Dec 2012 6:03 pm
Rick: Don’t worry – Japan won’t be over-populated for much longer.
Kenz300 on Fri, 7th Dec 2012 10:01 pm
Quote — ” Radiation levels in fish caught near the area remain high long after the 2011 meltdowns, suggesting contamination from the site might still be seeping into Pacific waters, a U.S. researcher said in October.”
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The progress in stabilizing and containing the Fukishima disaster does not get enough in depth coverage. The disaster continues today with no end in sight. This has huge implications for nuclear power around the world.
ken nohe on Fri, 7th Dec 2012 11:08 pm
The earthquake yesterday was nothing significant because it took place so far offshore. But at 7.3 M and 10km depth this was a “chokagata” very similar to the one that destroyed Kobe in 1995. Japan will most probably have 1~3 of these per year for the coming decade and some will be far closer to urban centers including directly below Tokyo.
The city has become more resilient; yesterday all the trains and subways were back on schedule within an hour but a direct hit would be devastating. More preparation is needed; but at least we can’t complain that we didn’t have plenty of warnings!
As for nuclear energy, we now understand that it was not safe enough for Japan and at least in the archipelago it is now history, more or less. Conversely, what is amazing is that Japan took 20% of its power capacity off the grid and it didn’t make much waves. Some minor inconvenience at first but 2 years later the country is adapting to this new reality. Some limitations, more work flexibility, self restrain, investments in gas plants did the trick in far less time than people would have deemed possible. This shows our ability to adapt and it is the reason why we should not be systematically pessimistic about all the problems we face.
Rick on Sat, 8th Dec 2012 12:40 am
@ Ken N.
Do you live in Japan?
I like real Japanese food, and I like the people, but given the geography of Japan, and lack of resources, AGW, I would not want to call it home.
Saying that, most places in the world, will not escape AGW or Peak Oil. If you’re 53 like me, you might do okay, even if you live to be 100. Anyone younger, it will be a different story for those folks. PS – I have no kids.
BillT on Sat, 8th Dec 2012 1:41 am
This disaster is just waiting for another shock to make it an even bigger disaster. The radiation from Fukushima is already showing up in products from California, and is being covered up by the US.
As for you avoiding the pain, if you are over 50, your odds of that are about as good as winning the lottery jackpot. Slim to none. If you live another 10 years, you will be feeling the pain, and it may be fatal. Wait and see.
GregT on Sat, 8th Dec 2012 5:49 am
BillT,
Sadly, I will have to agree with you. My research leads me to the same conclusions.
GregT on Sat, 8th Dec 2012 6:59 am
Ken Nohe,
My heart goes out to the people of Japan. Some very close friends of mine live there.
“investments in gas plants did the trick in far less time than people would have deemed possible. This shows our ability to adapt and it is the reason why we should not be systematically pessimistic about all the problems we face.”
After overpopulation, arguably, the next two biggest problems that we face are fossil fuel depletion and climate change. Japan is doing nothing to address either by using coal and natural gas to generate electricity.
ken nohe on Sat, 8th Dec 2012 10:42 am
Yes, I live in Japan… mostly. As well as partly in Europe, the US, China…
As many people here I almost died last year and may well have if the unbelievably huge quake had been just a little closer to Tokyo. (That was the 3rd largest recorded quake in History after the 1960 M 9.5 in Chile and the 1964 M 9.4 in Alaska.) And so I have become extremely optimistic. From now on every day is “bonus”. Sorry Bill!
This said, of course Japan is not doing the right things, who does? Worse, I believe that the right things are unpractical, within our current context which is why nobody even tries. But next to the right things, fortunately, the laws of nature will nudge us slowly into the right tracks. A tree doesn’t have a power plant and it never crashes. I believe that our future is distributed power which also means using far less. We’ll get there… eventually. I am fairly confident, although there is a fair chance that we will crash more than one time on the way but that is the way we make progress.
Kenz300 on Sat, 8th Dec 2012 3:17 pm
Japan has an opportunity to learn from this nuclear disaster at Fukishima and end their reliance on nuclear energy. They have learned that nuclear energy is too costly and too dangerous. The disaster at Fukishima continues today with no end in sight.
Japan has many technology companies that can help lead the way to an alternative energy future. Wind, solar, wave energy, geothermal and improving energy efficiency are all viable options for the future. 5 years ago who would have thought that Japan could shut down 50 nuclear power plants and still have enough energy for the country. Energy efficiency and a move to diversification of sources and types of power production is having an impact.