Sunday, October 23, 2016

Risking Japan's Future


In the last 5 years there has been a tremendous amount of significant earthquake activity in Japan. The great Honshu quake of 2011 was followed last year by unprecedented earthquake activity in Kyushu, where Japan's only operating reactors are located. Over 1,000 earthquakes shook Kyushu last spring.

Most recently, earthquakes rocked Tottori Prefecture, forcing large scale evacuations:
October 22, 2016. Tottori quake forces 2,800 to evacuate, causes 145 aftershocks. The Asahi Shimbun http://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/AJ201610220033.html

TOTTORI--More than 2,800 residents who evacuated after a magnitude-6.6 quake hit Tottori Prefecture spent a restless night in shelters as aftershocks continued to rattle the area in western Japan.

The Japan Meteorological Agency said 145 quakes with intensities of at least 1 on the Japanese intensity scale of 7 were recorded by noon Oct. 22. Agency officials also cautioned residents about the possibility of a lower 6 quake--the same level as the one that stuck at 2:07 p.m. on Oct. 21--hitting the area over the next week or so.

Tottori prefectural government officials said one resident suffered serious injuries and 14 others had minor injuries as of 7 a.m.
Here is the location of the latest quake:



According to the Japan Times, the country has more than 2,000 active faults:
Protecting people against quakes. Japan Times, Oct 23, 2016 http://www.japantimes.co.jp/opinion/2016/10/23/editorials/protecting-people-quakes/#.WAzmXMmYLHo 

The news agency Xinhua reports that the increased earthquake activity in Japan is indicative of activity along the Japan Median Tectonic Line:
Magnitude 6.5 quake strikes off coast of Japan's Kanto region, slight sea level changes possible. Xinhua September 23, 2106, http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2016-09/23/c_135707847.htm

The rise in quakes recently both in and in offshore regions of the landlocked Kanto area on the main island of Honshu, including Ibaraki Prefecture that borders the Pacific Ocean northeast of Tokyo and neighboring Saitama Prefecture, can be attributed to increased activity of late along the Japan Median Tectonic Line, the weather agency has said.
Wikipedia provides a diagram of the Japan Median Tectonic Line:


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japan_Median_Tectonic_Line

Operating nuclear plants in the context of heightened earthquake and volcanic activity is a big GAMBLE with the future of Japan at risk.

And let the same be said for any region of the world - including California - where nuclear power plants are located in geologically active zones.



2 comments:

  1. Do.people keep.nuclear stations opened in geologically dangerous areas because they are crazy majia?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think HUBRIS is the answer, and greed, for why people keep reactors open in dangerous areas.

      Delete

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