Japan Earthquake

[marvinofthefaintsmile]

@marvin: parang may nabasa akong (unofficial) news sa pagiging missing nya, fin.

@fox: i believe so too. i have faith.

I think Maria Ozawa is safe na.., Gagawa dapat kami ng video together at inaayos pa lang ung mga papers, joke.,

[carpediem]

The third explosion might have damaged the vessel of reactor 2, which could be more serious than the first two explosions.

According to reports, higher than normal radiation levels have are now detected in Tokyo, but not yet seen as harmful.

[angelo]

^thanks. got more details from Yahoo!

[angelo]

breaking news: radiation levels are now harmful to human health

Radiation levels around reactors are now a threat to human health, the Japanese government said Tuesday.
A fire has broken out at the number-four reactor at the quake-hit Fukushima No. 1 atomic power plant and radiation levels have risen considerably, Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan said.

People between 20-30 km from reactor should stay indoors, Kan said.

[carpediem]

The situation is very, very bad. Reactor 2 might be in the course of a total meltdown.

[Hitad]

Naniniwala akong kayang kaya ng Japanese makarecover. Korea nga nakarecover at nahigitan pa ang madaming bansa eh mas mahirap pa sila kesa satin dati, after 100 years voila! Very advanced country na sila, and also tokyo which was 50% destroyed during world war II.

Pinapanood ko sa youtube kung pano sila magreact sa catastrophe and you can tell they have guts to handle such situation. Hindi sila panicky like most Filipinos. May napanood nga ako warning ng tsunami somewhere in Mindanao/Visayan region andun yung mga tao nakaabang sa tsunami.  

Baka gustong magpapicture tas upload sa facebook. Mga pinoy talaga 

LOL tama. Naka pose sila tapos nasa likod yung tsunami sabay upload sa facebook

[carpediem]

A waste fuel storage pool of Reactor 4 is boiling, releasing radioactive materials directly to the atmosphere.

[carpediem]

Hopefully no. The radiation level is still not that high to reach us. It has reached Tokyo however as they reported that the level there is already higher than normal (Although still within tolerable level).

[joshgroban]

good news indeed....mukang wala nang meltdown ng radiation

[Mr.Yos0]

Japan's earthquake shifted balance of the planet

Last week's devastating earthquake and tsunami in Japan has actually moved the island closer to the United States and shifted the planet's axis.

The quake caused a rift 15 miles below the sea floor that stretched 186 miles long and 93 miles wide, according to the AP. The areas closest to the epicenter of the quake jumped a full 13 feet closer to the United States, geophysicist Ross Stein at the United States Geological Survey told The New York Times.

The 9.0 magnitude quake (the fourth-largest recorded since 1900) was caused when the Pacific tectonic plate dove under the North American plate, which shifted Eastern Japan towards North America by about 13 feet (see NASA's before and after photos at right). The quake also shifted the earth's axis by 6.5 inches, shortened the day by 1.6 microseconds, and sank Japan downward by about two feet. As Japan's eastern coastline sunk, the tsunami's waves rolled in.

Why did the quake shorten the day?  The earth's mass shifted towards the center, spurring the planet to spin a bit faster. Last year's massive 8.8 magnitude earthquake in Chile also shortened the day, but by an even smaller fraction of a second. The 2004 Sumatra quake knocked a whopping 6.8 micro-seconds off the day.

After the country's 1995 earthquake, Japan placed high-tech sensors around the country to observe even the slightest movements, which is why scientists are able to calculate the quake's impact down to the inch. "This is overwhelmingly the best-recorded great earthquake ever," Lucy Jones, chief scientist for the Multi-Hazards project at the U.S. Geological Survey, told The Los Angeles Times.

The tsunami's waves necessitated life-saving evacuations as far away as Chile. Fisherman off the coast of Mexico reported a banner fishing day Friday, and speculated that the tsunami knocked sealife in their direction.

[carpediem]

I have been reading a little bit about nuclear plant safety. I'll just summarize what I learned.

The plants in danger in Fukushima are said to be second-generation, as they were built 40 years ago during the 70s using the technology that time. They are more properly engineered than the one that exploded in Chernobyl in 1986, in the sense that they have more security and safety features in place. A source said they were engineered to withstand strong earthquakes (8.0 or 9.0 I think).

When the 8.9 earthquake struck, sensors in the plants detected it and automatically shut down the reactors. (This is one primary safety feature not found in the Chernobyl one, preventing from a devastating explosion.) However this automatic shutdown does not mean that fission in the reactors immediately stopped. Fission would still go on for some time (not sure for how long) which would need cooling to prevent overheating. There were actually backup diesel generators (I think these were for pumping water) to provide cooling for hours in case electricity went out. But unfortunately for Japan, the tsunami also destroyed these diesel generators and cut out the electricity for too long. (It was like a chain elemental combo.)

And so, as we know, there were already at least three explosions, which were allegedly hydrogen explosions due to high pressure water vapor. These water vapor were coolants (I think), and were contaminated with radioactivity.

From what I undertand, the container vessel of a reactor is supposed to guard against a meltdown and is supposed to withstand a theoretical maximum temperature and pressure of the reaction inside, preventing radioactivity from going out. Unfortunately, the third explosion reportedly damaged the container vessel of reactor 2.

As a last resort, engineers are currently risking their lives from the high dosage of radiation, pumping boron-rich seawater into the reactors to serve as coolant. The boron in seawater is supposed to slowdown the rate of fission.

Based on this, they say that it is extreme bad luck - massive failure in all systems all at the same time, which was not considered when the plants were built.

Nations with nuclear plants are now reassessing the safety of their own plants and nuclear policies.

[angelo]

i believe you. salamat sa executive summary. worthwhile than copy-pasting..

As a last resort, engineers are currently risking their lives from the high dosage of radiation, pumping boron-rich seawater into the reactors to serve as coolant. The boron in seawater is supposed to slowdown the rate of fission

isnt this temporary? how many lives will be put to the line by doing this?

[Hitad]

Basahin ko mamaya yung tungkol sa Nuclear thingy. Meron kasi akong mentality na tinatamad magbasa pag purong English yung article 

[carpediem]

i believe you. salamat sa executive summary. worthwhile than copy-pasting..

As a last resort, engineers are currently risking their lives from the high dosage of radiation, pumping boron-rich seawater into the reactors to serve as coolant. The boron in seawater is supposed to slowdown the rate of fission

isnt this temporary? how many lives will be put to the line by doing this?

yesterday's reports say 50. i am sure they have protections. but still the risk is very high.

[marvinofthefaintsmile]

I'm happy na ok naman si Maria Ozawa. hehehe.

Pero grabe ung after epek nung sa japan. natabunan na ung digmaan sa libya.,