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Tag: tsunami

  • Earthquake in Chile Registers 8.3 on Richter Scale, Sparks Tsunami Concerns

    An earthquake struck Chile at about 6:45 p.m. ET Wednesday, registering 8.3 on the richter scale, according to a preliminary assessment from the U.S. Geological Survey. A tsunami alert prompted evacuation orders in coastal areas.

    The earthquake’s epicenter was located approximately 34 miles west of Illapel, Chile. It was approximately 20.5 miles deep.

    Ricardo Toro is the director of Chile’s emergency agency. He told reporters following the earthquake that there hadn’t been any reports thus far of major damage. One death has been reported.

    The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center issued a warning following the earthquake, saying “widespread hazardous tsunami waves are possible” along the coast of Chile and Peru, and that a tsunami watch is in effect for Hawaii as well.

    CNN’s sister network, CNN Chile, reported a strong aftershock about 145 miles away from the earthquake’s epicenter.

    Chile sits on an arc of volcanoes and fault lines known as the “Ring of Fire.” The area is known for its frequent volcanic eruptions and earthquakes. The country has experienced more than a dozen earthquakes registering at 7.0 and above since 1973.

  • Tsunami Warning After Indonesia Quake Cancelled

    A magnitude 7.3 earthquake hit at 10:31 am Saturday morning, local time, off the coast of the Maluku Islands in eastern Indonesia, prompting the issue of a tsunami warning, which was later called off.

    The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake struck at a depth of 29 miles, with the epicenter being roughly 83 miles northwest of Kota Ternate.

    The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Hawaii said significant tsunamis were possible within a 185 mile radius of the quake’s epicenter. The center added that there is no danger of a Pacific-wide tsunami, and minimal damage and no fatalities were reported in Indonesia.

    Still, citizens along the coast of the Sitaro Islands began to flee from their homes before authorities called off the warning. Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, a spokesman at an Indonesian emergency agency, said that people were warned to stay clear of beaches and riverbanks.

    Toni Supit, head of the islands’ Sitaro district, commented, “people in coastal areas felt the strong quake, which lasted for quite some time, and they immediately went to the sea to see if the water was receding abnormally, which is a sign of an incoming tsunami.”

    On December 26, 2004, the 2004 Indian Ocean Earthquake created a tsunami that killed an estimated 220,000 in Indonesia. The quake involved in that disaster was magnitude 9.2.

    Here is a clip of the 2004 tsunami:

    Indonesia is situated on the Pacific “Ring of Fire” fault line, which is prone to earthquakes and volcanic activity. The Ring of Fire encompasses 452 volcanoes and sees roughly 90% of the world’s seismic events.

  • Tsunami In Japan Is Not Happening After 5.6 Earthquake

    Even though buildings in Tokyo were shaking because of the latest 5.6 earthquake that hit Japan yesterday, no Tsunami warning was sounded. That’s because experts in Japan were positive a tsunami was not going to happen. And it didn’t happen.

    “There was no abnormality in our monitoring at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant following the earthquake. Also, we have not received any reports of damage from the latest quake,” Spokesman for the the Fukushima nuclear plant Keisuke Murakami told AFP. Nothing unusual was noted.

    The Japan Times reported that most of the injuries involved people falling or items falling on people. In Maebashi, a car was buried by a mudslide, and the bullet train was stopped for a moment, but most damage was nominal.

    Still, experts are wary about the dangers of aftershocks.

    One of the unexpected aftershocks wasn’t geological, but financial. In the currency market, the Australian dollar dipped below 90 American cents, according to AAP. Sue Trinh, senior currency strategist for RBC, said the news caused investors to abandon the risky Australian dollar and seek refuge in the steady American dollar.

    Meanwhile, according to the Associated Press, the Japanese government is encouraging its citizenry to stock up on toilet paper. 40% of the nation’s supply comes from high risk earthquake areas. The government has its own minister in charge of paper products. He has been warning the country to be prepared for earthquakes by having an emergency supply stocked at home. His name is Toshiyuki Hashimoto. And he has not forgotten the lessons of the 2011 quake that caused a major tsunami.

    Even though there was no tsunami with this quake, it may have served as a reminder for those in Japan to stock up on essentials such as toilet paper.

  • Tsunami Warning Issued After Earthquake In Alaska

    A tsunami warning has been issued for parts of the Aleutian Islands after a strong earthquake struck Alaska on Monday afternoon.

    The earthquake occurred at 12:38 p.m. and measured an 8.0 on the Richter scale.

    The earthquake was centered about 13 miles southeast of Little Sitkin Island.

    The tsunami warning was issued shortly after the earthquake was reported and within an hour of the quake, the National Tsunami Warning Center reported that a small tsunami of around 6 inches was recorded.

    Although the tsunami warning has been issued, experts believe that the chances of a tsunami are small and if one does occur, it will not be very large or carry very high walls of water.

    Officials at the center said that “it’s not looking like it’s a significant height in the wave.”

    But Scott Langley, an electronics technician at the center, said “it doesn’t take a lot of height in waves to do damage.”

    Authorities in Alaska are still out inspecting the damage done by the quake, but so far, no injuries have been reported.

    Many of the areas that were likely to have suffered the most damage were also under a tsunami warning and could not yet be surveyed safely.

    Tsunamis can be deadly and dangerous, but warning systems allow people in tsunami risk zones time to get to higher ground before the tsunami hits. Some tsunamis can move extremely fast and hit within minutes of an earthquake.

    Tsunami warning systems have saved millions of lives and are continuing to improve.

    Were you surprised that the large earthquake that struck Alaska on Monday did not generate a large tsunami and how do you think tsunami warning systems can be improved?

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Alaska Earthquake Of 7.9 Magnitude Prompts Tsunami Warning

    On Monday, a 7.9 magnitude earthquake hit the Aleutian Islands near Alaska. Reports say that the earthquake struck at 12:53 p.m. Alaska Daylight Time. The earthquake was followed by aftershocks – the first one with a 6.0 magnitude and the second one with a 5.8 magnitude, both occurring several minutes after the quake.

    Four hours after the main earthquake, another 6.9 magnitude aftershock hit the area.

    The strong earthquake prompted evacuations and tsunami warnings. However, the warning was later downgraded, as experts ruled out the possibility of a destructive tsunami. According to the National Weather Service, small waves have already appeared in some locations in Alaska, but none of them was more than 0.6 feet high.

    City Manager Layton Locket said that residents of the island know what to do when strong earthquakes hit the area. “When there’s a significant earthquake such as this, we have a tsunami siren similar to a tornado alarm. It just blares,” he said. When residents hear the siren, they know that they must head to safety.

    The town of Adak evacuated around 150 residents to an area located 600 feet above sea level. There were no reports of damage in Shemya Island and Adak, reports say.

    Adak has about 130 permanent residents and 80 contractors. Locket said that having a small population is advantageous in these types of situations. “Everybody knows everybody, so if you don’t see somebody, you can call them real quick or go get them,” he said.

    Based on the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center’s reports, the earthquake was too deep to affect Hawaii. They also ruled out Washington, Oregon, and California from the tsunami risk.

    In 1946, the Aleutian Islands were hit with large earthquakes that caused a large tsunami that claimed the lives of 96 people in Hawaii. That incident prompted the founding of the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center.

    Image via YouTube

  • Chile Aftershock Registers Magnitude 7.6

    Chile Aftershock Registers Magnitude 7.6

    The U.S. Geological Survey reports that a magnitude 7.6 aftershock rattled Chile’s northern coast late Wednesday night, triggering a tsunami warning for regions of that country and Peru.

    The significant tremor came after an April 1st magnitude 8.2 quake generated a tsunami which produced 6.9 foot waves. The initial quake hit at 23:46 UTC off the coast of Chile, and the epicenter was approximately 59 miles northwest of the city of Iquique. The epicenter of last night’s aftershock was 12 miles south of Iquique at a depth of 25 miles, according to the USGS.

    The aftershock was felt along the border in southern Peru, where people in the cities of Tacna and Arequipa followed suit with the residents of Iquique, and fled into the streets, avoiding buildings in fear. Citizens of low-lying areas were reevacuated, though the tsunami warning issued by the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center for the region was cancelled late Wednesday.

    Roughly 2,500 houses were damaged during the initial temblor in Alto Hospicio, a poor neighborhood situated in the hills above Iquique, a city with a population of nearly 200,000 people. The death toll so far due to the quake is six, and Chilean president Michelle Bachelet declared parts of the country’s North as a disaster zone, and military and troops and police reinforcements were dispatched to maintain order, prevent looting and to corral escaped convicts.

    Here are some images of the damage, via Twitter:

    The main April 1st tremor was preceded by a number of mid-sized quakes that hit in the same region in the preceding weeks. These events are associated with the boundary of the Nazca Plate and the South America Plate. The USGS stated that the main earthquake was shallow at 12.5 miles below the seabed, and struck roughly 950 miles from capital Santiago.

    Earthquake-prone Chile has established an excellent infrastructure to deal with seismic activity, but the system has its flaws. Tsunami warning sirens are lacking in areas of Arica, and authorities were giving orders to evacuate by megaphone, as well as using Twitter to relay instructions. Though, fewer than 15 percent of Chileans use the tsunami warning app on their smartphones.

    Image via Twitter

  • Chile Earthquake Evacuees Return Home

    Citizens of the Chilean city of Iquique were permitted to return home Wednesday morning, after an April 1st magnitude 8.2 earthquake generated a tsunami which produced 6.9 foot waves. Similar sized waves were also reported in the coastal towns Pisagua and Arica.

    The death toll so far due to the quake is six. According to officials, one firefighter and one woman were killed by collapsing walls, and four men died of heart attacks. Minimal damage was reported, as Chile, a country prone to massive earthquakes has developed an infrastructure that is resistant to seismic activity.

    The quake hit at 23:46 UTC off the coast of Chile, and the epicenter was approximately 59 miles northwest of Iquique. The main tremor was preceded by a number of mid-sized quakes that hit in the same region in the preceding weeks. These events are associated with the boundary of the Nazca Plate and the South America Plate. The U.S. Geological Survey stated that the earthquake was shallow at 12.5 miles below the seabed, and struck roughly 950 miles from capital Santiago.

    Here’ a clip from a restaurant in Chile shot during the time of the quake:

    Chilean president Michelle Bachelet declared parts of the country’s north as a disaster zone, and military and troops and police reinforcements were dispatched to maintain order while landslide-blocked roads are cleared and damage was repaired. Authorities are still assessing the full extent of the destruction.

    Steven Godby, an expert in disaster management at Nottingham Trent University in Nottingham, England, commented, “The government of Chile has been working hard to improve the awareness of people living along the coast to the threat from tsunamis and on what to do if one is approaching. Several tsunami drills have taken place since the (earthquake and) tsunami that killed an estimated 500 plus Chileans in February 2010, and recent earthquakes in the region have helped to keep the threat firmly in people’s minds.”

    Image via YouTube

  • Chile Earthquake Rocks Country Sunday

    Chile Earthquake Rocks Country Sunday

    CNN tells us that a 6.7- magnitude earthquake hit Chile’s Pacific coast Sunday for their first earthquake of the year. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the quake was felt within 60 kilometers with a depth of 20 kilometers.

    Thankfully, there was only minor reported damage with no deaths; 100,000 people were directed to briefly evacuate coastal areas before the earthquake to prevent any major catastrophe if a consequential tsunami occurred.

    The earthquake was also followed by a brief 5.1 tremor along with three 4.9 quakes.

    The earthquake was initially reported as a 7.0 quake, which would have caused substantially more damage. So far, the only reported damage Chile has seen from the quake Sunday is some broken windows and two roadside rock falls. Chile’s precious copper mines were unscathed, and the mandatory evacuation was recalled close to three hours after the earthquake.

    Chile is known to be a country with a high risk for earthquakes. The country’s worst recorded earthquake killed more than 5,000 people in 1960, and registered a whopping 9.5. The volatile landscape has also recently seen its share of tragic earthquakes; an 8.8 earthquake that caused a massive tsunami killed more than 500 people and destroyed over 200,000 homes in 2010. The commercial damage from the quake was also traumatic to the country’s economy as coastal resorts and docks were dismembered and washed away by the strong waves.

    There are no reports of any upcoming earthquakes in the area in the near future. There are no specific times of the year for earthquakes to occur in any area, as the aforementioned earthquakes occurred in the months of May and October, respectively.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • California Earthquake And Japan’s 3 Year Anniversary

    So, California had an earthquake Sunday.

    Earthquakes aren’t really “news” for the Golden State. They’re just a natural event that happens because these huge slabs (called tectonic plates) of rock below our feet are constantly playing a game like Jenga, where sometimes the edges slip and crack. That sends off these waves we occasionally end up feeling. California just happens to sit on top of one of those places (called fault lines) where that sort of activity is more likely. Although the results of quakes can be pretty devastating, other times we feel nothing at all. In fact, everyday, across the planet, little ones transpire and we’re blissfully unaware of them when they do.

    As for this weekend’s events, everything turned out pretty well.

    It was a casualty free episode, nobody was hurt, and the power even remained on in the 100 year old house of resident Rachel Maytorena, who lives a mile off the coast, near Eureka.

    “It just kept going and going, very slowly and softly. It was not violent. It almost felt like you were in a boat that was rocking,” Maytorena described.

    “The animals, they felt it,” she said, adding that they “were ready to get out of the house.”

    Indeed, animals are pretty sensitive to earthquakes – not just while they’re happening but beforehand. While our best seismology technology is constantly advancing, it still falls short of effectively determining when and if a quake will happen. But you know what can? The common toad can!

    Yep, Bufo bufo (which sounds far more majestic than “common toad” doesn’t it?) is reportedly able to predict imminent quakes by picking up seismic activity as much as five days in advance of a quake, from over 40 miles away. Researchers believe that once they sense charged particles and noxious gases, they get the hell out of Dodge (or Eureka). That’s just a fun and useless fact for you to take into your day.

    You know why? Because we can’t help if earthquakes happen. So it’s better you leave your internet-news perusal with a few nuggets of pointless knowledge and inspiration versus worry. We can’t control a quake, but some stuff we can do includes:

    1. Moving somewhere they’re less likely to happen.
    2. Taking up residence with a colony of toads so you can reserve your fight or flight response for when the leader gives the signal to abandon ship.
    3. Using your skills (that’s the “inspiration” part – did it work?) to help battle the nasty aftermath when a really powerful one hits.

    It’s helpful to know when things like this happen so we can make sure the people we love are alright, but Sunday’s quake resulted in no major damage, despite it’s magnitude, so the fear mongering is unnecessary.

    However, its proximity to today’s 3 year anniversary of still-recovering Japan’s quake and tsunami reminds us that far larger disasters do happen.

    What’s more, we can help following these events beyond merely sharing emotional footage. When we see a giant wave wreak havoc and carry off homes and cars like bathtoys, we can let that stirring in our tummies spur us into action. From hardcore volunteering like Erika Jenson does – to donating books to children whose families lost everything or just a small monetary offering, we all possess something that can help.

    And after any natural happening over which we have no power, the power we do have – to alleviate someone’s suffering – is pretty much awesome.

    Healing thoughts go out to Japan and its people as they recover.

    Image via Youtube

  • Fukushima Radiation to Reach U.S. Coast This Year

    The day the tsunamis hit Japan, which would eventually cause the Fukushima nuclear meltdown, will remain etched into my brain for a long time. I was frantically woken up by my mother on March 11, 2011; she ushered me to the television, where I saw footage of the damage that made my heart leap into my throat. I hurried to school and entered the classroom where I had been a part of a Japanese language program for three years at the time. In this room, I found my teacher, a man who had spent twelve years of his time in the area of Japan that was most heavily hit, as well as our three exchange students, one of which whose hometown was in the hard hit area, in tears. I, as well as many other students, joined them.

    Over the next few weeks, our program worked to raise money for the Red Cross and other benefits, and we provided as best a support net for our exchange students and teacher as we could. The event was tragic, terrifying, and unforgettable; this point is proven, once more, by the fear it is continuing to strike into the hearts of many as concerns of nuclear radiation begin to make themselves well known.

    Residents of Japan have been experiencing the effects of nuclear radiation from the plant since the beginning, and clean up efforts have been doing their best to contain the problem and keep people healthy. Now, fear is rising among U.S. citizens as the radiation that leaked into the ocean shortly after the meltdown makes its way to the West coast.

    This impending event has been a cause of concern among many residents near the coast, including those in the San Francisco Bay area, who passed a resolution back in December that would require more regulation and testing of local seafood. However, officials say that such worries are uncalled for, since there is already radiation present in the ocean.

    These reassurances have not been helpful to residents, however, who are still very fearful about the effects that may come with the radiation. They are not alone; Korea has ceased imports of fish from Japan’s Northern Pacific coast out of fear of radiation, as well. It seems like everyone is on their toes when it comes to the fear of radiation.

    Whether or not the radiation proves harmful to the U.S., it is a concrete reminder of the unexpected tragedy that befell Japan in 2011, as well as grim evidence of how events that have long passed can prove harmful to so many people.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons.

  • Puerto Rico Earthquake – 6.4-Magnitude Rattles The Country

    A strong earthquake hit Puerto Rico after midnight on Sunday, the quake was centered in the Atlantic Ocean.

    The epicenter was approximately 35 miles north of Hatillo, and 17 miles deep according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

    The National Weather Service’s Pacific Tsunami Warning Center has reported that there is a possibility of a widespread tsunami, but it is not expected to be destructive.

    Some damage was reported as several people experienced items falling in their home and many others said they felt the buildings sway in San Juan, which lies approximately 61 miles from the earthquake’s epicenter.

    The area is no stranger to earthquakes – many of similar magnitude have hit the country in the recent past. A 5.4 magnitude occurred in March 2011 and December 2010.

    Reports indicate that there was minimal damage. The capital San Juan, where 400,000 people live, is located on the same side of the island where the possibility of a tsunami could occur, although authorities have not issued a warning.

    This quake is almost 4 years to the day after the powerful 7.0-magnitude earthquake ravaged Haiti. It also occurred just a day after services were held in Haiti to remember the estimated 316,000 people killed in that quake of January 12, 2010.

    The Caribbean tectonic plate is a sliver of crust caught between the North and South American plates and, to the west, the Cocos plate. When they move in opposite directions the Caribbean plate gets squeezed, thereby causing tremors and earthquakes.

    Although in recent years Puerto Rico has not fallen victim to a major tremor, the U.S. Geological Society notes that the subduction zone “is capable of hosting M8+ earthquakes.” That said, the tectonic history of the region includes known earthquakes of magnitude-7.5 in 1914, magnitude-7.3 in 1787 and 1918 and magnitude-7.0 1917.

    These quakes were recorded to have caused major damage, and the 1918 quake, which created a tsunami, killed 116 people.

    Image via NDN

  • Tonga Is Hit By Powerful Cyclone

    A powerful storm has hit the archipelago of Tonga on Saturday. Authorities are calling that storm Cyclone Ian, and it hit the islands with gusts of winds topping 178 mph, putting it in category five, the most severe type of cyclone.

    Ian created a path of destruction as it hit the string of islands, flattening homes and killing one person, but injuring many. The cyclone has been called the worst storm in decades to hit the Ha’apai islands, one of Tonga’s three island groups, between the main island of Tongatapu in the south and the Vava’u islands to the north.

    Relief teams are searching the remote islands for victims as authorities had been unable to make telephone contact with 23 islands that account for most of the inhabited islands in the Ha’apai group, said Leveni Aho, Tonga’s director of emergencies.

    “The patrol boats are still out there, going from island to island to scout for information,” he said.

    Ha’apai governor Tu’i Ha’angana said he could see from one side of the island to the other, and “that’s how devastated it is”.

    Patrol boats, compliments of the navy, carried tents and other emergency supplies in an effort to assist victims whose homes were destroyed during this raging storm.

    Aho estimated that hundreds of people on the two islands were taking shelter in church buildings being used as evacuation centers. Up to 70 percent of the homes and buildings in some areas had been flattened, officials said.

    Tupou Ahomee Faupula, from Tonga’s mobile phone provider Digicel, said his field officer in Ha’apai, Uaisele Fonokalafi, reported widespread devastation: “He told us that this was the worst ever damage from a cyclone. Most houses are flattened and roofs are off, and trees and power lines are down.”

    The patrol boats’ relief mission said the weather was good on Sunday, but the seas remained rough.

    Tonga is an archipelago of 176 islands, 36 of them are inhabited by more than 100,000 people.

    Image via YouTube

  • Tokyo 5.5 Earthquake Shakes Up Saturday Morning

    Yahoo News tells us that eastern Japan has felt a strong rumble registering at a 5.5 magnitude early this morning, but thankfully no tsunami threats, serious damage or nuclear damage have been reported. This has been the ninth earthquake this month.

    Although always frightening, the citizens of Japan are likely breathing a sigh of relief– this earthquake did not cause the following nightmares of past tremors, namely the 9 magnitude earthquake that left 20,000 people dead or missing due to the following tsunami of colossal proportions and destroyed nuclear plant.

    In the matter of nuclear damage, Japan can’t take much more right now. The country is still working to clean up the destroyed nuclear plant by the name of Fukushima. According to an earlier report from the BBC, the high amounts of radioactive water stored on the site are reaching storage capacity, and there are numerous leaks throughout the entire plant. These leaks are extremely detrimental; radioactive water seeping into the groundwater, rivers and oceans not only severely impacts our seafood dishes– but the balance of the Earth’s ecosystem. There is some distrust on plant radiation figure reports by some officials, so let us hope that there was actually no plant damage done by the quake today.

    More information on this earthquake is sure to follow as the hours progress. As of right now, eastern Tokyo is a little shaken up, but they have seen much worse in very recent history.

    [image: twitter]

  • Tsunami Debris Still Headed to US, Just No Island

    UPDATE: Nicholas Mallos, Ocean Conservancy’s marine debris specialist, said this with regard to clarifications from the NOAA about the reports of a “Texas-sized” island: “Following the 2011 tsunami that hit Japan a tremendous quantity of debris washed into the Pacific and began heading toward North America. While this debris was initially a solid mass, NOAA is right to indicate that it is not a flotilla and has dispersed significantly in the two years since.

    Tsunami debris is still a very real threat for which we must remain vigilant. What doesn’t reach land will likely end up in the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre with the myriad ocean trash already there due to our excessive use of disposable products. As a result, we’re communicating regularly with the Japanese government and environmental officials to ensure a swift response if or when debris makes landfall.”

    Main Story: In the spring of 2011, a massive tsunami/earthquake disaster struck Japan, killing roughly 15,000 and sweeping millions of artifacts and debris from Japanese cities into the Pacific Ocean.

    Earlier this year, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) was reportedly continuing their efforts to keep the North American coast and the island of Hawaii relatively free from debris, but artifacts like housing materials and styrofoam likely originate from the March 2011 tsunami.

    Nancy Wallace, the director of the marine debris program at NOAA, told LiveScience last March that “This has been a very unprecedented event… We just don’t know how much debris is still floating in the water.”

    The drama came to a climax this week when it was reported on multiple media outlets that an island of tsunami debris the size of Texas was on a crash-course with the West Coast.

    NOAA officials with the Marine Debris Program tried to calm the calamitous media with a blog post. “Here’s the bottom line:” they write. “There is no solid mass of debris from Japan heading to the United States.”

    The team went on, saying “While there likely is some debris still floating at sea, the North Pacific is an enormous area, and it’s hard to tell exactly where the debris is or how much is left. A significant amount of debris has already arrived on U.S. and Canadian shores, and it will likely continue arriving in the same scattered way over the next several years.”

    Essentially, there are too many unknowns and variables to calculate before anyone can make conclusions about aspects of the debris like the surface area. (“Texas”-sized, really?) Lots of debris has already arrived, anyway: at least a dock, a Japanese skiff, and 30 other items have washed up on beaches in Oregon, Washington, Hawaii, Alaska, and British Columbia. Some of those items had so much foreign marine life, they needed to be decontaminated lest we endure even more invasive species.

    Here’s some news footage from earlier this year of the cleanup efforts, which were still underway:

    [Image via Wikimedia Commons]

  • Japan Earthquake Triggers Tsunamis

    An earthquake hit off the coast of Honshu, Japan, on October 25, 2013, measuring a magnitude of 7.1 the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) reports. According to local Tokyo time, the earthquake hit at 2:10 a.m. and produced tsunamis at four reported locations measuring fifteen inches each. While a 1-meter tsunami advisory was issued for much of Japan’s northeastern coast, this advisory only lasted for two hours after the earthquake hit.

    There have been no fatalities reported as a result of the earthquake, nor any reports of lasting damage. In fact, even Japanese television has been showing images of placid waters surrounding the coast.

    The earthquake happened east of the Japan Trench and within the crust of the Pacific plate, which is about 170 miles from Fukushima and 300 miles from Tokyo, yet the earthquake was still felt as far away as Tokyo.

    A Fukushima prefectural government official, Satoshi Mizuno, gave a telephone interview with The Associated Press.

    “It was fairly big, and rattled quite a bit, but nothing fell to the floor or broke. We’ve had quakes of this magnitude before. Luckily, the quake’s center was very far off the coast,” said Mizuno, who works for the disaster management department.

    Japan has experienced multiple storms lately where recuperation efforts are still underway from Super Typhoon Francisco. Part of the reason for the repeat occurrences are due to Japan’s location near the following four tectonic plates: Pacific plate, North America plate, Eurasia plate, and Philippine Sea plate.

    The earthquake has risen concerns about the stability of Japan’s nuclear reactors where it has been confirmed that Japan’s fifty nuclear reactors are presently offline.

    Efforts are still underway to clean the radiation leak near the Fukushima nuclear plant where reports have indicated that this process is behind schedule. According to Satoshi Mizuno, the Tokyo Electric Power Co., which is the company that oversees the Fukushima plant, have not noted any damage as a result of this recent earthquake.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MDFOTDS5FVA

    [Image Via Wikimedia Commons And Courtesy of Captain Blood]

  • 5.3-Magnitude Earthquake near Fukushima

    5.3-Magnitude Earthquake near Fukushima

    An earthquake that registered as a 5.3-magnitude on the Richter scale was detected at 17:25 GMT today, according to a statement made by the United States Geological Service (USGS). Currently the ‘USGS’ and organizations like the ‘Japan Meteorological Society’ and the analysts at ‘The Weather Channel’ aren’t in complete agreement as to the size of the quake – both of which currently assert that they detected it as a 5.8-magnitude. Regardless of this minor qualm, the incident in itself caused quite a scare. The quake was within a close enough range that it’s effects were once again experienced by the Fukushima Prefecture – the region that is home to the recently devastated Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.
    Fukushima Nuclear Plant
    The areas primarily affected by the tremors were said to have only been in the constrains of the ‘Intensity II’ category as described in the Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale. Intensity II describes areas which the tremors were only felt by a limited number of people who were currently at rest, as well as some movement in the upper floors of buildings and skyscrapers. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology, more concisely known as Phivolcs estimated that the epicenter was about 84 kilometers Southeast of General Santos City (Philippines). The group initially cited the coordinates of the epicenter to be 05.45 degrees North latitude and 125.54 degrees East longitude.

    After the March 2011 earthquake and subsequent tsunami, the Fukushima Daiichi plant was rendered virtually unusable – as well as being extremely dangerous. In the aftermath of the two natural disasters, Fukushima had three of it’s reactors meltdown and extensive damages were caused to one of the primary fuel cooling pools. Fortunately, the Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) had been advised only days before by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to ensure all six reactors were completely shutdown (including the two that weren’t damaged last year). The Prime Minister also encouraged the plant to concentrate their full attention and capabilities toward solving the clean-up and disposal issues associated with the radioactive water leak caused by the disasters that happened in 2011. In pictures of the facility we can see several large barrel shaped tanks that are currently holding the contaminated waste that has already been collected in efforts made by associates of the plant.
    Plant Disaster Diagram
    During the time the tremors began to effect the Fukushima Prefecture, operations at the plant were being heavily monitored and has thus far not reported any incidents. Seismic activity within the Prefecture registered at a depth of around 13 miles (22 km.). Throughout the history of Japan, the people have been continually plagued by large and often disastrous earthquakes in the majority of the country’s various regions. Japan is the closest country to the vicinity at which four primary tectonic plates are all almost adjacent: the North American plate, the Pacific plate, the Eurasian plate, and the Philippine Sea Plate – the constantly floating plates cause the location to be an extremely seismically active region.

    Photos Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons: Aerial View of Fukushima Daiichi 1975, Present Day Plant Photo, Plant Damages Diagram

  • Tsunami May Have Hit Jersey This Month

    According to the National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) West Coast and Alaska Tsunami Warning Center, a weather event witnessed in New Jersey earlier this month may very well have been a tsunami. This would be a rare event for the east coast of the United States.

    Tsunami-like waves were observed along the US east coast during the afternoon of June 13, 2013. NOAA has stated that the derecho weather system that blew through earlier this month likely played a part in the strange wave activity. The weather system moved from west to east over the New Jersey shore just before the suspected tsunami. But they also said that it is possible that the slumping at the continental shelf east of New Jersey played a role.

    Most people think of tsunamis as resulting from earthquakes, rather than a simple storm surge, and that is usually the case. But one eye-witness accounting reported in to the Administration told the tale of this tsunami-like event, and has left many officials scratching their heads.

    Around 3:30 p.m. on Thursday June 13, 2013, a man named Brian Coen was spear fishing near the mouth of Barnegat Inlet. Earlier in the day around noon, thunderstorms had moved through the area. By 3:30 p.m. the weather was overcast with a light east wind. At approximately 3:30, the outgoing tide was amplified by strong currents which carried divers over the submerged breakwater (normally 3-4 feet deep). This strong outrush continued for 1-2 minutes and eventually the rocks in the submerged breakwater were exposed. Coen backed his boat out before being sucked over as well.

    At this point, Coen noticed a large wave coming in, approximately 6 feet peak-to-trough and spanning across the inlet. The upper 2 feet of the wave was breaking. This wave occurred in conjunction with a reversal of the current so that, even though the tide was going out, a strong surge was entering the inlet. This surge carried the divers back over the submerged reef and into the inlet from where they were picked up. On the south jetty three people were swept off the rocks which were 5 to 6 feet above sea level at the time. At least two were injured requiring medical treatment. There was no more strong activity after about 5 minutes.

    One particular feature of tsunamis is that of a strong outgoing current followed by a strong reversal and surge inland. In this instance, a strong current of about 8 miles per hour hit an area that usually only sees 1 mile per hour currents.That was enough for officials to determine that it was not simply a storm surge, common after a storm blows through on the coast. That kind of wave activity is sought after by surfers. This surge exposed rocks that normally are never seen, even in low tide, then rushed back in past them again.

    Researchers are exploring whether there may have been a landslide on the ocean floor off the coast, which may explain the wave event and classify it as an official tsunami. Another possibility is that it was an event known as a meteotsunami, a tsunami caused solely by weather. Boats with sonar equipment will be checking the area for ocean floor changes to help solve the mystery.

  • Walk Through Tsunami-Ravaged Buildings In Japan On Google Maps

    Google announced that it has added indoor imagery from buildings hit by the 2011 tsunami in Japan to Google Maps, as well as its Memories for the Future site.

    Google worked with four city governments in the Tōhoku area to get the imagery, which was collected using the same technology the company uses for its indoor business photos. They were able to photograph over 30 buildings.

    “A year ago we released Street View imagery of areas in Northeastern Japan that were affected by the March 11, 2011 earthquake and tsunami,” says Google Street View Group Product Manager Kei Kawai. “Our hope was that the 360-degree panoramas would provide a comprehensive, accurate and easy-to-use way for people around the world to view the damage to the region by enabling a virtual walk through of the disaster zones. The panoramas were only the start of our digital archiving project.”

    “The timing of the project was critical,” says Kawai “There has been a strong debate in these areas whether to keep the buildings up as a permanent reminder of the tragedy or to tear them down to allow emotional wounds to heal. After long consultations with their citizens, many local governments have decided to move forward with demolishing the buildings. Knowing this, we quickly moved to photograph the buildings before they started to be dismantled.”

    Kamaishi Municipal Toni Elementary School

    Elementary School

    Rikuzentakata City Public Housing

    Public Housing

    Ukedo Elementary School

    Elementary School

    Google says it will continue to photograph more buildings in two Iwate Prefecture cities, Ōfunato and Kamaishi, over the coming weeks.

  • Great Pacific Garbage Patch Keeps Getting Bigger

    As debris from the Japanese tsunami begins to wash up on shores along the western United States, scientists warn that there are far greater concerns lurking about a thousand miles off the coast of California. The Great Pacific Garbage Patch, a terrifying collection of gunk and junk that’s swirling around the Pacific Ocean for several decades, is getting bigger. According to a recent study, the impossibly horrifying trash island has grown 100-fold over the past 40 years, thanks to the increasing amount of plastic dumped into the oceans.

    “I’m more concerned about our constant input of trash than I am about these one-time disasters,” lead author Miriam Goldstein explained to the Los Angeles Times. “We can’t prevent terrible events like the tsunami, but dumping plastic into the ocean is something we can control and don’t do very well.”

    Scientists are also concerned about the extremely large amount of debris from the 2011 tsunami that will soon call the garbage patch home. An estimated two million tons of construction material, refrigerators, TVs, fishing boats, and a vast array of other items are expected to make their way towards coastal towns, thought some of these items will certainly get caught in the putrid island’s clutches along the way. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration recently stated that they expect debris to reach Oregon, Washington state, Alaska, and Canada between March 2014 and March 2015.

    Just recently, a large wooden deck, which is thought to have originated in northern Japan, washed up on the shores of Oregon. “What we have is a really large, well-built dock that survived a cross-ocean voyage,” a spokesperson for the Oregon Department of Parks and Recreation explained. “It’s 66 feet long, 19 feet wide and seven feet tall, covered with reinforced concrete. We’re used to debris and trash that you can pick up and throw in a trash bag, and the occasional vessel that runs aground. Something like this, this large, this heavy, requires a little more careful handling.”

    According to Wikipedia, the Great Pacific Garbage Patch (aka Pacific Trash Vortex) is characterized by its “characterized by exceptionally high concentrations of pelagic plastics, chemical sludge, and other debris that have been trapped by the currents of the North Pacific Gyre.” Although the island’s existence was predicted by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Charles J. Moore is credited with first seeing the patch during a sailing race in 1997.

  • Soccer Ball From Japanese Tsunami Found in Alaska

    All of us remember the devastating tsunami that ravaged Japan back in 2011. It was such a rough time for the Japanese population; however, a story has recently been released that has given the Japanese hope from these tough times. According to a Yahoo News article, a soccer ball owned by a Japanese native that was lost in the tsunami has recently been found all the way in Alaska.

    The soccer ball, found by Alaskan resident David Baxter, belongs to 16-year-old Misaki Murakami from Japan. Baxter found Murakami’s soccer ball (which had Japanese writing, Murakami’s name, along with words of encouragement) while beachcombing on Middleton Island, 70 miles south of the Alaskan mainland. Baxter tells the Associated Press the following quote via e-mail:

    “When I first saw the soccer ball I was excited to see it and I thought it was possible it came from the tsunami zone.”

    David told the story to his wife, Yumi, who then contacted Murakami (with a reporter’s help) to let him know that the soccer ball that he had lost in the tsunami had been found. Murakami was overjoyed to receive the news about the ball, which had been given to him as a gift in 2005 when he transferred schools. Murakami told public broadcaster NHK the following statement pertaining to his joy of receiving the news about his soccer ball:

    “It was a big surprise. I’ve never imagined that my ball has reached Alaska. I’ve lost everything in the tsunami. So I’m delighted. I really want to say thank you for finding the ball.”

    The Alaskan couple plan to visit Japan in May to return the ball to Murakami; however, they will not officially meet, because they “don’t want to create too much of a commotion.”

  • Tsunami Warning For Indonesia Sparks Panic

    A quake measuring around 8.6 on the richter scale struck Indonesia this morning, kicking off a round of tremors and causing officials to issue a tsunami warning. The strong quake–which lasted for more than a minute–was felt in Thailand and Singapore, as well.

    Although there were no signs of an impending tsunami, residents were urged to move to higher ground as a precaution and several fishermen were called in to land. The quake sent panic through those affected as memories of the devastating tsunami disaster in 2004, which claimed over 230,000 lives in 13 different countries, no doubt became fresh in their minds again. The magnitude of that quake was 9.1. Recent news reports say the tsunami warning has been called off, but officials are urging residents to be cautious and are continuing with evacuations.

    Early reports say that phone lines are down, traffic jams are clogging the streets as people move to safer ground, and the power is out for thousands. There are no reports of major damage so far, although Oxfam International tweeted that they were at the ready for anyone who needed assistance.

    (image)@Oxfam
    Oxfam International    Oxfam is there: We’re in touch w/our staff & partners in #Indonesia & #Thailand about the #earthquake; more info as we get it.(image) 3 hours ago via web ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    (image)@Oxfam
    Oxfam International    #Tanzania issues #tsunami warning along coastline http://t.co/sniBXWeX 1000s have evacuated 2 higher grnd in Andaman Islands #India(image) 56 minutes ago via TweetDeck ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    (image)@Oxfam
    Oxfam International    Waves expected to reach Andaman Islands w/in 1 hr; reports of a #tsunami warning issued for South Africa #Indonesia #earthquake(image) 1 hour ago via web ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto