77 replies to this topic

[TAP]

I read on BBC that the quake was 500 times stronger than that which hit Haiti in 2010; consequences would have be much more severe had Japan not been as prepared as it was. It would have been incomprehensible.

I think that the BBC missed it by several orders of magnitude. The Richter scale is a log base 10 scale derived from the amplitude of the seismic waves. So, one increase in number corresponds to a 10x increase in amplitude. That in turns means a little over 30x more energy is released with each increase. Hence, Haiti... 5.6, Japan... 9,0=30x30x30x(some faction of 30)= somewhere about 30,000 more powerful

Haiti was 7.0-7.2 depending on the source, Japan was 8.9-9.0 - so 500 is approx. correct.

[Hula]

lisa does canada have any major fault lines running through it? ca. has the andreas fault, that is one long bad one. the "ring of fire" that does the circle on this side of the world is too mind boggeling for me to truly wrap my brain around

[TAP]

The earthquake and tsunami clearly were really, really, bad: You basically need at least one functioning eye, a modicum of brain activity and access to TV/video to see that. But to be fair, some of the media has been overdoing the nuclear power plant stuff based on what has happened so far. It's scary and uncertain, but nothing catastrophic has actually happened yet.

[TAP]

Analysis with links of nuclear situation in Japan (this guy is kinda left I think, most scientists are.)
http://blogs.discove...r-overreaction/

[LISA]

lisa does canada have any major fault lines running through it? ca. has the andreas fault, that is one long bad one. the "ring of fire" that does the circle on this side of the world is too mind boggeling for me to truly wrap my brain around

not that I am aware of...excuse my ignorance unless it it thru the Canadian Rockies

[cousin it]

I read on BBC that the quake was 500 times stronger than that which hit Haiti in 2010; consequences would have be much more severe had Japan not been as prepared as it was. It would have been incomprehensible.

I think that the BBC missed it by several orders of magnitude. The Richter scale is a log base 10 scale derived from the amplitude of the seismic waves. So, one increase in number corresponds to a 10x increase in amplitude. That in turns means a little over 30x more energy is released with each increase. Hence, Haiti... 5.6, Japan... 9,0=30x30x30x(some faction of 30)= somewhere about 30,000 more powerful

Haiti was 7.0-7.2 depending on the source, Japan was 8.9-9.0 - so 500 is approx. correct.

I don't where in the hell I pulled that 5.6 number??? Hell, those do little damage. Maybe that was the size of our last quake????

lisa does canada have any major fault lines running through it? ca. has the andreas fault, that is one long bad one. the "ring of fire" that does the circle on this side of the world is too mind boggeling for me to truly wrap my brain around

not that I am aware of...excuse my ignorance unless it it thru the Canadian Rockies

Eastern Canada has a few seismic zones... some that produce major quakes. The entire east coast of North America is eat up with fault zones and complex geology. Hell, one of the largest earthquakes to hit NA in the last 200 years was on the upper Mississippi Embayment.

Recent quakes in eastern Canada: http://earthquakesca...an-eng.php#WQSZ

This guy is a geologist that writes a blog from Ontario. He worked in the nuclear industry, up there, and is critical of design proceedures of the Ontario nuclear industry. If you want to learn some cool geology of your area, and why he thinks what happened in Japan can happen there, check him out:

http://ontario-geofish.blogspot.com/

[cousin it]

Oh, reactor containment structure 2 has exploded tonight, and there is concern that the reactor vessel has been compromised. NY Times is reporting that US servicemen stationed off shore have been exposed to high levels of radiation.

[Zimbochick]

Has anyone heard or read what the suspected fall-out would be outside of Japan?

[Zimbochick]

Has anyone heard or read what the suspected fall-out would be outside of Japan?

Everything I have read is very vague.
http://www.bbc.co.uk...e-east-12307698

[cousin it]

Has anyone heard or read what the suspected fall-out would be outside of Japan?

From what I have read, the isotopes have a short half live... days- weeks, not years, but they are some hot buggers. Outside of the plant, I've read of readings of 40rem/hour. 320 rem is the max allowable exposure for a nuke worker in a year. 80 rem will make you sick if exposed in a relatively short time. 400 rem will kill you.

[TAP]

hahahahaha...

http://www.guardian....news-glenn-beck


So, determined not to be lumped in with the rest of the lazy journalists who are spreading stories about radiation and broadcasting images of reactors exploding and acting like it's a big deal, Beck decides to demonstrate with the assistance of some props (a wok, a steamer, a saucepan, a cutlery container and some tubes of M&Ms) why we should not be in any fear of falling ill or dying from exposure to radiation.

Beck puts the tubes of M&Ms (which represent nuclear rods) into the cutlery container and then into the steamer (the nuclear reactor) which he seals tightly. Then he places the "nuclear reactor" into a large saucepan and seals it off with an upturned wok. Beck then explains that the footage we saw on our televisions of the reactors exploding was just the upturned wok or lid being blown off the saucepan but that the steamer inside, with the nuclear pellets, was still intact. Having thus reassured his audience that there is nothing whatsoever to worry about, he chastises the mainstream media (like the New York times) once again for their fear-mongering tendencies.

[Zimbochick]

That is fucking funny. What a moron. We were in a waiting room one day when Beck came on, and my 10 year was completely confused by the show. Beck was drawing pictures on a chalk board of cows and horses in a paddock. My son asked if it was a kids program, when I said no he asked why there was such a stupid show for adults, and why Beck was repeating the same thing over and over and over again. I merely said it was a stupid show for stupid people. Enough said.

[Mr. Roboto]

I bet the 2012 crazies are going ape shit over all this. Obviously this is the start of the end.

[Hula]

hahahahaha...

http://www.guardian....news-glenn-beck


So, determined not to be lumped in with the rest of the lazy journalists who are spreading stories about radiation and broadcasting images of reactors exploding and acting like it's a big deal, Beck decides to demonstrate with the assistance of some props (a wok, a steamer, a saucepan, a cutlery container and some tubes of M&Ms) why we should not be in any fear of falling ill or dying from exposure to radiation.

Beck puts the tubes of M&Ms (which represent nuclear rods) into the cutlery container and then into the steamer (the nuclear reactor) which he seals tightly. Then he places the "nuclear reactor" into a large saucepan and seals it off with an upturned wok. Beck then explains that the footage we saw on our televisions of the reactors exploding was just the upturned wok or lid being blown off the saucepan but that the steamer inside, with the nuclear pellets, was still intact. Having thus reassured his audience that there is nothing whatsoever to worry about, he chastises the mainstream media (like the New York times) once again for their fear-mongering tendencies.

wow, so creative