Strong earthquake hits northeastern Japan

[JanDutchy]

Source: English.news.cn



2011-03-19 18:16:43
TOKYO, March 19 (Xinhua) -- An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.1 jolted northeastern Japan on Saturday, the Japan Meteorological Agency said.

There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage from the 18:56 p.m.(0956 GMT) quake. No tsunami warning was issued.

The focus of the quake was in the northern parts of Ibaraki Prefecture at a depth of about 20 kilometers, the agency said.

The tremor was widely felt in the surrounding prefectures. The building of Xinhua's office in downtown Tokyo swayed for several seconds.


Read more: http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/world/2011-03/19/c_13787765.htm

[grahamhgreen]

1. I hop this doesn't cause any more 'downside' for the nukes.

[Art_from_Ark]

5. The epicenter was northern Ibaraki

20-30 miles from the Fukushima Daichi complex. Japanese seismic intensity of 5-upper (５強 ), meaning that there is a chance of major damage.

P.S. I felt that quake. It was very unsettling for me, 70 miles from the epicenter.

[medeak]

12. unsettling indeed!

take care...have ridden 6plus out..not fun

[Art_from_Ark]

25. Thanks

According to the Japan Meteorological Agency, there have been 200+ aftershocks in the Kanto-Tohoku area within the past week. This last one was the strongest one that I have felt since the March 11 quake. :scared:

[medeak]

28. pray you stay safe!

thought about you all day. xoxoxo
edited to say..please give us updates if you can!

[Art_from_Ark]

30. Update

Firetruck-based water pumping (80 tons) was recently finished at the Number 4 reactor. Water dousing at the Number 3 reactor ended about 10 hours ago. Atmospheric radiation here in southern Ibaraki had been showing a slightly declining trend since March 17th local time, but a few minutes ago there was a small spike from about 0.15 micro-sieverts per hour to 0.25 micro-sieverts per hour, and now it's bouncing around between 0.18 and 0.25. Based on an interview I just heard on TV, apparently that stems from a release of radioactive steam from the Number 3 reactor to prevent excessive pressure build-up.

http://rcwww.kek.jp/norm/

[SpiralHawk]

2. The Super Moon thingy is, um, just a coincidence

no correlation whatsoever, of course, couldn't possibly be...

Cue the "science" fundies...1...2...3...

[SkyDaddy7]

4. "Super Moon" & "Science Fundies"??

So, does this mean you are into astrology &/or you think a Super Moon causes natural disasters like Earthquakes, Volcanoes, etc.,? Maybe you think scientist have yet to figure out the power of the heavens?


Seriously, not sure what you are talking about? Obviously, you do not like what science has to say on the subject but why?

Do articles like this bother you? http://news.discovery.com/earth/super-moon-earthquake-no-link-110318.html


If so, why? I am seriously interested in what you think considering your comment. I think it is fascinating why some people dislike what scientist have to say on various topics.

[lbrtbell]

10. There's a lot science hasn't figured out yet

The worst superstition of all is "not believing in" things that aren't yet understood. Refusing to investigate unsolved mysteries is the surest way to stop gaining knowledge.

Like when the medical community wrote off PMS as something that was in women's heads, rather than an actual medical problem.

Science would never advance, if all scientists had your attitude.

[caseymoz]

11. There's far more that dumb people haven't figured out yet.

But they will still mislead you about it. When they get something right, it doesn't mean they're as good as scientists, it means they were lucky. It takes no work or discipline to pull a notion out of thin air and simple luck says that something will happen at the same time. A lottery winner has no right to call his or her "method" of picking numbers any better than anyone elses. Coincidence is not causality, and that's old, long demonstrated, logic, not science that says that.

Science is a method. People applying the method are fallible. People who take guesses and are committed to believing them due to one spectacular result are-- far more fallible. What some scientist once said about PMS has nothing to do with it.

BTW, it took Gallileo hundreds of experiments dropping metal balls and sliding them down ramps until he demonstrated how gravity actually worked. And he documented all of them. Gravity had always been around. Anybody might have "guessed" that two objects of the same weight fell at the rate and have been right. It still wouldn't have been as good as scientifically proving it. Why? Because there was a far better chance that they would have guessed wrong. As it was, they guessed wrong about it for thousands of years.

[SkyDaddy7]

13. What you are totally missing is science has studied this!

There is no link between "Super Moon" (Whatever that is) to Earthquakes, Volcanoes, etc., none!

People want to believe something & if science disagrees then it is always well science just does not know yet...But that is not science! Science does know & science has been studying this for a long time!

I have no idea if you are getting your info & ideas from reading crazy astrology claims but it sure seems that way because that is where the term "Super Moon" came from & they use the same false logic you did in your comment..."The worst superstition of all is "not believing in" things that aren't yet understood. Refusing to investigate unsolved mysteries is the surest way to stop gaining knowledge"

Science does understand this & they have been studying it for a long time!

Seriously, read what science has to say not only about what they know but HOW THEY KNOW IT...I swear it is much more fascinating than WOO-WOO! If science does not understand something science will be the first to admit it!

Read this article...

http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2011/03/18/kryptonite-for-the-supermoon/#more-29783

[Thor_MN]

40. Persisting a belief that has been proven false time and again is more harmful

There is a vast difference between what science has not explained yet and what has been proven false. Effects that disappear when studied under controlled conditions (those things that require belief to be observed) deserve to be relegated to the scrapheaps of mythology. Properly done, science is self correcting. Woo, on the other hand, has been continuously harming people since humans developed language to persist misguided notions.

[aquart]

8. Is that the moon hare?

[caseymoz]

9. It's not fundie to say that's dumb.

Why don't you look at all the astronomical events that occurred and are occurring now, including very high sunspot activity? Which seems to "cause" plenty of earthquakes? I know, the moon has that magical "gravity" thing going for it. So does the sun, and far more so.

Instead of looking at the moon, look at the core and mantle of the earth. I realize they're harder to see, but they're right here with us.

[AtheistCrusader]

14. Yes, aftershocks from a large main quake on the same or nearby faults are totally unheard of.

Please explain the 9.1 when the moon was halfway between apogee and perigee.

[femrap]

15. I just sent someone an

email about The Super Moon and that I hoped it only damaged Greedy A-holes.

Isn't it the Moon that causes our tides? That's Science.

I believe very strongly that the Sun, Planets, etc. have an effect on Earth AND its inhabitants.

Ever been to The Library of Congress? It is totally designed with Astrology. I was completely blown away. I think TPTB want us common folk to disregard astronomy and astrology so we're stuck in ignorance. But, hey, it's just my belief and I'm sure others will condemn me for it.

My thoughts are with the people of Japan except for the Greedy A-hole ones.

Love your rabbit!

[Arugula Latte]

16. Ummm ... aftershocks?

They're common.

[Arugula Latte]

17. As an aside, "Super Moon" would make a good name for a band.

[caseymoz]

20. Or Rush Limbaugh's middle name. nt

[Arugula Latte]

21. Ba da bing!

Good one. :thumbsup:

[calimary]

19. Dayum, Spiralhawk - where'd you find that photo?

That's a pretty amazing rabbit picture!

:thumbsup: :yourock: :fistbump:

[Rex]

35. Holyshit, I always knew it!

Rabbit are from Mars! It all makes sense now!

[Thor_MN]

39. The moon hits it's perigee every 27.3 days.

It's absolutely insane to think that there could be some effect on this particular orbit different from the perigee a month ago or the one before that, etc.

[NeoGreen]

3. Not to belittle this report...

... but if you go to the USGS Earthquake website and then view the maps around Japan, there have been a number of 6.+ quakes in northern Japan before and after the 9.0.

http://earthquake.usgs.gov/

Here is the world map...

http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/recenteqsww/

you can click on it to zoom in.

On a side note, I did a plot (graph) of the USGS listed earthquake data for northern Japan for before and after the 9.0, and found there was a steady (almost linear) decrease in the max magnitude of quakes before an approximate 6-hour gap of no quakes. Then the 9.0 hit with a ton of activity afterwards. One of the immediate aftershocks was 7.+.

I don't have the graph available with me (it is at work), but it was interesting to plot the data.

(edited for spelling)

[JanDutchy]

6. Japan Meteorological Agency:' link

http://www.jma.go.jp/en/quake/quake_singendo_index.html

[JanDutchy]

7. Japan Meteorological Agency:' link

http://www.jma.go.jp/en/quake/quake_singendo_index.html

[Viva_La_Revolution]

18. This one was actually under Japan, instead of offshore, where most of the aftershocks have been. nt

[AtheistCrusader]

23. Related and nearby faults can release after a major quake as well.

There was a 6.2 due west of Tokyo on Tuesday. Not at all unusual after such a large earthquake. And that quake was 5 days before the moon's closest approach.

[Healthy Appetite]

22. Wow

The Japanese just need a break right now. I cannot imagine how horrific living in northern Japan must be right now. I'm just grateful to have a computer and the ability to follow all of this from the comfort of my home.

[Lisa0825]

24. Welcome to DU!

:hi:

[Auntie Bush]

26. Welcome aboard

[Art_from_Ark]

27. I agree, we definitely need a break here in Japan

Especially those people farther to the north of me who are near Ground Zero or in the heavily damaged areas.

Earthquake, tsunami, fires-- it's like a replay of the 1993 Okushiri Island disaster, except on a much larger scale and now with a crippled nuclear power complex thrown in.



(Scene from the Okushiri Island disaster)

[suffragette]

29. Art, Are the people in Ibaraki receiving canned food

and supplies?
This is a hard 1-2 punch for them between yesterday and today with the reports of radiation in spinach and a strong aftershock.

[Art_from_Ark]

31. I have read that some people in northern Ibaraki

are receiving canned food. I went to a supermarket yesterday here in southern Ibaraki and found that there was almost no canned fish on the shelves, and other canned goods were getting low. There were also almost no dairy products, and no fresh meat, and no Maruchan-type dry ramen. There were lots of canned and bottled drinks available, and snack foods.

(On edit)-- Gasoline is in very short supply, and people are lining up to buy gas from the few stations that have it. But at least they are not going to have the rolling blackouts here, which they had originally planned.

To put things in perspective-- Ibaraki prefecture is roughly 85 miles long from north to south, and about 2500 square miles in area. The southern border is about 30 miles from Tokyo, the northern border is about 20 miles from Fukushima Daiichi. The hardest hit areas are basically from Mito (the capital, in roughly the center of the prefecture) northward, especially along the coast. Also, part of an expressway just north of Mito was damaged badly and is still not open to traffic, but it seems like they have finally reopened part of the main train line (Joban LIne) that links Mito and points northward with Tokyo. The Joban LIne runs all the way to Sendai.

[suffragette]

32. Thanks for the info

Another DU'er has relatives in Ibaraki.
I'm going to point her to your post.


Hope you managed to stock up ok with what you could find in the market.

Glad to hear there won't be rolling blackouts in that are.
Things are tough enough without that, too.

[Art_from_Ark]

33. I went to another supermarket today

It was in a neighboring city and their shelves were fuller than the ones at the first supermarket. LIke the other store, though, they were all out of milk, and there was a sign posted that limited each person to one 1-liter carton. Rice was in short supply, too, as were packages of Maruchan-type ramen. There were notices posted here and there in the store apologizing for the lack of certain goods due to the earthquake.

It has been a sunny day so far today (it's nearly 4:00 in the afternoon right now). I put on a surgical mask and rode my bicycle through part of the city. There were small signs of earthquake damage here and there, but people were going about their business-- some were jogging, working in their gardens, walking their dogs, playing with their kids in parks... Some were wearing surgical masks, others weren't. It seemed like a typical Sunday, except there weren't as many cars on the road.

[suffragette]

34. All good to hear, except the food shortages

But even with that, good to hear more was available and people were out living their lives and reducing stress.

Keep us posted on how you're doing
:hi:

[Art_from_Ark]

36. If I can find the cable for my digital camera

I'll try to post some pictures

[suffragette]

38. Ok, but stay safe doing all this

:hug:

[Art_from_Ark]

44. OK, here's a picture

This is a warning sign that says the expressway from Iwaki (Fukushima Prefecture) to Joban Tomioka (the end of the expressway about 6 miles from the Daiichi complex) is closed due to the earthquake

[Art_from_Ark]

45. Here's another picture

This shows the remnants of tiles that were shaken from the roof of an unoccupied house.

[Art_from_Ark]

37. Also remember I'm in southern Ibaraki

The situation in northern Ibaraki might be different. For example, there is no train service from Tsuchiura (45 miles north of Tokyo) all the way up to Sendai (the closest major city to the epicenter). The main expressway that links Tokyo with coastal areas of Ibaraki, Fukushima, and Miyagi prefectures is also closed to regular traffic from Mito (in Ibaraki, 80 miles north of Tokyo) northward. The seaports that serve northern Ibaraki, including Oarai and Hitachinaka, were hard-hit by the tsunami. I've heard that Hitachinaka is operating again, but at greatly reduced capacity.

[Art_from_Ark]

41. I'm listening right now to an appeal from my city's mayor

He is saying that people in Kita Ibaraki City (on the border with Fukushima Prefecture) are in need of food and daily items. So apparently things in northern Ibaraki are in worse shape than they are down here in the south.

[suffragette]

42. Thanks again for the specific updates

So this is your mayor appealing to your city to help those further north, correct?

[Art_from_Ark]

43. Yes, my city's mayor was appealing for help

But later in the day, there was a notice on the TV that stated that enough goods had been donated. They are still accepting applications for volunteers.

Also, I was talking with a co-worker later who said that land links between north and south Ibaraki are essentially severed. Apparently, there was substantial damage at Mito Station and it seems to be out of commission for the time being. This is bad, particularly because it is an important station for the Joban (major north-south), Mito, and Suigun train lines. Also, the main north-south expressway north of Mito is closed to regular traffic, and there are reports that the main regular highway connecting north and south, Route 6, is impassable in some places north of Mito. And to top it off, there is a gas shortage. I went by 4 gas stations today, and 4 yesterday, and all but 2 were closed. The ones that were open had long lines, and the price had risen to the equivalent of $7/gallon (as opposed to about $5.50/gallon before the earthquake).