# Large earthquake in Northeast Japan **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 11, 2011, 6:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/large-earthquake-in-northeast-japan/574279 "2011-03-11T06:10:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 8
**Author:** ![RoniaBorkason](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9dc877/32.png) [@RoniaBorkason](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RoniaBorkason)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2011, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/large-earthquake-in-northeast-japan/574279/141 "2011-03-11T18:19:29Z")
My cousin in Crescent City, CA says “Two people washed away in curry county”. Which is where my parents live. Luckily, they live away from the beach, on a hill. I’m trying to get the local news, but it looks like all the radio stations there are still stuck in the dark ages and don’t offer live streaming. ---
**Author:** ![Ann\_Onimous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ea5d25/32.png) [@Ann\_Onimous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ann_Onimous)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2011, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/large-earthquake-in-northeast-japan/574279/142 "2011-03-11T18:20:02Z")
Brian Shiro, who works at the tsunami center in Hawaii, just tweeted the earthquake has been upgraded to 9.1. ---
**Author:** ![user\_hostile](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/user_hostile/32/474_2.png) [@user\_hostile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/user_hostile)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2011, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/large-earthquake-in-northeast-japan/574279/143 "2011-03-11T18:20:43Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > I was at the bus stop this morning, and the young lady next to me said, “I heard about that Japan toosammy thingy. This means it’s gonna rain alot, right?” This wasn’t southern California, was it? ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2011, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/large-earthquake-in-northeast-japan/574279/144 "2011-03-11T18:21:03Z")
All the pictures I’ve seen so far are awful, but [this one](http://cdn.theatlantic.com/static/infocus/jpq03111/s_j12_11116542.jpg) is truly a scene from hell. ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2011, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/large-earthquake-in-northeast-japan/574279/145 "2011-03-11T18:25:51Z")
I’m interested to see what’s gonna happen with the nuclear power plants. It’s gonna be interesting to see how this effects the industry. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2011, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/large-earthquake-in-northeast-japan/574279/146 "2011-03-11T18:32:38Z")
Getting pissed off with the so-called “experts” on the BBC. 1. Despite that it’s nighttime in Japan at the moment, when they showed archive footage of the first waves hitting, one ‘expert’ says “we’re watching as another wave approaches a shore that has already been devastated by the first tsunami”. 2. “A tsunami travels around 500 mph on land - you couldn’t drive away from it. You couldn’t even _fly_ away from it.” Wrong. Tsunamis travel around 500-600 mph in deep water, but would be travelling between 50-100 kph when they make landfall. That’s the whole reason that they build up height: as the sea becomes shallower, the velocity of the water slows, and the water has no other place to go but up. Dipshits. ---
**Author:** ![Wile\_E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c37758/32.png) [@Wile\_E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wile_E)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2011, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/large-earthquake-in-northeast-japan/574279/147 "2011-03-11T18:44:13Z")
Just saw an expert talking about a potential China Syndrome scenario with the nuclear reactors. Seems a little odd to call it that when they’re on the same side of the world as China. Hopefully, they can get that under control. Don’t need a meltdown on top of all this devastation. Speaking of China, didn’t they just have a quake? Are they all connected, i.e. on the same fault lines? Need to find that earthquake map again. ---
**Author:** ![fiddlesticks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiddlesticks/32/18129_2.png) [@fiddlesticks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fiddlesticks)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2011, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/large-earthquake-in-northeast-japan/574279/148 "2011-03-11T18:47:11Z")
> [@Wile\_E](#): > > Speaking of China, didn’t they just have a quake? Are they all connected, i.e. on the same fault lines? Need to find that earthquake map again. China’s quake was down by the border with Burma. ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2011, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/large-earthquake-in-northeast-japan/574279/149 "2011-03-11T18:50:33Z")
> [@jjimm](#): > > 1. Despite that it’s nighttime in Japan at the moment, when they showed archive footage of the first waves hitting, one ‘expert’ says “we’re watching as another wave approaches a shore that has already been devastated by the first tsunami”. Actually the footage you describe (if you mean the film of waves breaking as they approached the shore) _was_ of later waves hitting areas that had already been struck by the initial tsunami. So the statement you quote is correct, even if it could be falsely construed as implying live footage. ---
**Author:** ![Wile\_E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c37758/32.png) [@Wile\_E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wile_E)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2011, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/large-earthquake-in-northeast-japan/574279/150 "2011-03-11T18:53:50Z")
Here’s the [USGS](http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/recenteqsww/Quakes/quakes_all.php) site. ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2011, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/large-earthquake-in-northeast-japan/574279/151 "2011-03-11T18:54:23Z")
I think [this map](http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/asiapcf/03/11/map.japan.tsunami/index.html?hpt=T1) is very interesting. Essentially, the entire Pacific Ocean is under Tsunami watch/warning/advisory. The sheer scope of this event is almost beyond belief… ---
**Author:** ![Sakuma\_Drops](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/50afbb/32.png) [@Sakuma\_Drops](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sakuma_Drops)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2011, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/large-earthquake-in-northeast-japan/574279/152 "2011-03-11T18:56:25Z")
> [@Wile\_E](#): > > Speaking of China, didn’t they just have a quake? Are they all connected, i.e. on the same fault lines? Need to find that earthquake map again. I haven’t looked at fault maps in a while, but IIRC Japan is right next to a major subduction zone in the Pacific (where one plate is pusing under another), whereas many of China’s quakes occur away from plate boundaries. Scientists weren’t exactly expecting a subduction (or “megathrust”) quake THIS bad in the Japan region, though - by comparison, the infamous Kanto Earthquake of 1923 had a magnitude of 8.3. The video from Japan is beyond horrifying. It looks like there’s going to need to be a major airlift rescue effort as many areas still look like they are flooded from the tsunami. Also, [according to this article](http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/a/-/full-coverage/8997732/passenger-train-missing-in-quake-hit-japan/) a passenger train thought to be in a coastal area at the time of the quake has been reported missing ☹ ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2011, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/large-earthquake-in-northeast-japan/574279/153 "2011-03-11T19:05:49Z")
just heard news that they might do a radioactive vapor release to prevent some greater damage to the nuclear plant affected. ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2011, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/large-earthquake-in-northeast-japan/574279/154 "2011-03-11T19:08:22Z")
> [@johnpost](#): > > just heard news that they might do a radioactive vapor re;ease to prevent some greater damage to the nuclear plant affected. Ouch. As if Japan didn’t have enough to deal with already. ---
**Author:** ![Kyla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/eada6e/32.png) [@Kyla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyla)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2011, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/large-earthquake-in-northeast-japan/574279/155 "2011-03-11T19:09:22Z")
BBC World Service just reported that there was enough large earthquake hundreds of kilometers south of yesterday’s. No real details yet. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2011, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/large-earthquake-in-northeast-japan/574279/156 "2011-03-11T19:10:53Z")
> [@Sakuma\_Drops](#): > > I haven’t looked at fault maps in a while, but IIRC Japan is right next to a major subduction zone in the Pacific (where one plate is pusing under another), whereas many of China’s quakes occur away from plate boundaries. Scientists weren’t exactly expecting a subduction (or “megathrust”) quake THIS bad in the Japan region, though - by comparison, the infamous Kanto Earthquake of 1923 had a magnitude of 8.3. At least we’re not dealing with the sheer number of deaths that occurred in 1923-- 125,000 . ---
**Author:** ![rocking\_chair](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocking_chair/32/2918_2.png) [@rocking\_chair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rocking_chair)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2011, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/large-earthquake-in-northeast-japan/574279/157 "2011-03-11T19:20:04Z")
> [@notfrommensa](#): > > Watching Fox News right now: > > Giving estimates on estimated Tsunami times for various west coast cities: (miles from Tokyo) > > Seattle 8:44 am pst (~4791 miles) > San Francisco 8:16 am pst (~5133 miles) > Santa Monica 8:39 am pst (~5451 miles) > > I don’t understand why Frisco would be hit 23-28 minutes quicker than LA and Seattle. san fran sticks out more to the west. also cresent city is a near perfect tsunami bowl. now nagano is reporting a 6.6 quake. that is on the other side of japan, so it is not part of the aftershocks that are shaking tokyo’s side. this is not good for japan. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2011, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/large-earthquake-in-northeast-japan/574279/158 "2011-03-11T19:23:07Z")
> [@Colophon](#): > > Actually the footage you describe (if you mean the film of waves breaking as they approached the shore) _was_ of later waves hitting areas that had already been struck by the initial tsunami. So the statement you quote is correct, even if it could be falsely construed as implying live footage. Point taken. I guess I’ve been a victim of the increasingly popular “historic continuous” tense. ---
**Author:** ![JoelUpchurch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f05b48/32.png) [@JoelUpchurch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JoelUpchurch)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2011, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/large-earthquake-in-northeast-japan/574279/159 "2011-03-11T19:24:36Z")
> [@Markxxx](#): > > I’m interested to see what’s gonna happen with the nuclear power plants. It’s gonna be interesting to see how this effects the industry. Right now the nuclear power industry is going through a live test of worst case scenario. If a meltdown at the Fukushima can be avoided, then the situation looks pretty good. I suspect that this may create additional sales opportunities for the Westinghouse AP1000 reactor design, since it addresses the specific scenario of the backup generators for emergency cooling water being damaged. In the AP1000 the emergency cooling water is in a reservoir on top of the plant, so it uses gravity to deliver the emergency cooling water. Nuclear plants are mostly plumbing, so I’m concerned about how long it will take to inspect all the pipes for cracks so the plants can be brought back online. Meanwhile there are fires raging around Japan from broken natural gas lines and burning storage tanks. ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2011, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/large-earthquake-in-northeast-japan/574279/160 "2011-03-11T19:24:54Z")
> [@rocking\_chair](#): > > now nagano is reporting a 6.6 quake. that is on the other side of japan, so it is not part of the aftershocks that are shaking tokyo’s side. > > this is not good for japan. There’s another banner at the top of CNN’s website announcing the Nagano quake, but no details yet. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/large-earthquake-in-northeast-japan/574279.md?page=7) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/large-earthquake-in-northeast-japan/574279.md?page=9)