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8.9 Magnitude Earthquake in Japan (7.4 aftershock/tsunami - April 7th)


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Nintendo of America has also released a tweet stating:

“Thanks for your concern! During the earthquake no one at Nintendo in Japan was injured and there was no apparent structural damage.”

as horrible as it sounds my first thought upon hearing about the earthquake was "what will happen to nintendo"

I can't help that I fucking love nintendo

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*insert more pseudoscientific anti-nuclear fearmongering here*

Yeah... this isn't going to help efforts to convince the public that nuclear power is safe when done right. Which brings up my primary question at this point: This nuclear plant was constructed in a known seismic zone, so why didn't they build it with proper dampers similar to those used in skyscrapers in order to prevent exactly this scenario? I haven't found any evidence that it was built with dampers, so it seems that this entire issue right now is due to that oversight. But of course, the uninformed public won't see it that way...

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This nuclear plant was constructed in a known seismic zone, so why didn't they build it with proper dampers similar to those used in skyscrapers in order to prevent exactly this scenario? I haven't found any evidence that it was built with dampers, so it seems that this entire issue right now is due to that oversight. But of course, the uninformed public won't see it that way...

From Wikipedia:

Unit 1 was designed for a peak ground acceleration of 0.18 g (1.74 m/s2) and a response spectrum based on the 1952 Kern County earthquake.[6]

After main generation stopped, power supply for cooling was transferred to emergency diesel generators. However, the generators installed to provide backup power for the cooling systems for units 1–3 were damaged by the tsunami;[13] they started up correctly but stopped abruptly about 1 hour later.[14]

Makes it sound like the reactors were built with the capacity to withstand earthquakes, though not of the magnitude experienced yesterday. The problem appears to have been the tsunami, not the earthquake itself.

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There's only a certain level of failure you can account for in a system. You can only ask (and resolve) "What if that fails?..." so many times. Unfortunately, there's just not all that much you can do about tsunamis. Even waterproofing generators wouldn't stop any other debris is being swept along by the tsunami from smashing them up pretty bad, not to mention the risk of leaks or poor maintenance.

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anti-nuclear people are one of two people

a) greenpeace idiots that thing let's just stick windmills everywhere

B) people who have been swindled by Old White Men of America into believing that we should continue using fossil fuels and lining their pockets

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This nuclear plant was constructed in a known seismic zone, so why didn't they build it with proper dampers similar to those used in skyscrapers in order to prevent exactly this scenario?

You also have to remember that this is Japan's biggest earthquake in recorded history. I understanding planning for the worst but if they haven't seen something that big in their history it could be difficult to anticipate the exact events that would follow.

Do you guys think there will be some relief effort groups appearing in America? Or is it understood that Japan has the resources to conduct their own relief efforts? I would consider going over during my upcoming spring break.

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anti-nuclear people are one of two people

a) greenpeace idiots that thing let's just stick windmills everywhere

B) people who have been swindled by Old White Men of America into believing that we should continue using fossil fuels and lining their pockets

The bold is sooo true...

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I saw a picture

fallout.jpg

[citation needed]

Meltdowns don't create fallout. The ultimate consequence of a total meltdown is the molten radioactive slag hitting the underground water table. Chernobyl isn't an exception to the rule either - Chernobyl was in fact a partial meltdown (as was TMI), but its graphite core was exposed to the outside air and ignited. Something similar would have to happen here for the above map to have some semblance of relevance.

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If the radiation carried that easily then I think the nuclear bombs that were dropped on Japan would have done even more damage than they did.

Not to mention the number of times an atomic battery one rockets or satellites burnt up on re-entry or exploded in orbit and left radioactive particles over most of the planet... multiple times (just scroll down a bit to the list). There are also a multitude of military accidents from the 1940s up to the modern day that have equaled and exceeded that of what they are expecting from the Japanese reactors.

It's bad, yes, but not as bad as some would like you to believe.

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Meltdowns don't create fallout. The ultimate consequence of a total meltdown is the molten radioactive slag hitting the underground water table. Chernobyl isn't an exception to the rule either - Chernobyl was in fact a partial meltdown (as was TMI), but its graphite core was exposed to the outside air and ignited. Something similar would have to happen here for the above map to have some semblance of relevance.

Darkesword, a former instrument and controls technician at a nuclear power station, says qft

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We were at dinner at PF Changs. I didn't have my phone with me and have been off the forums all weekend because of PAX East.

But yes, that fallout map is absolutely ridiculous. Nuclear power reactors are completely different from nuclear bombs. They can't explode like a nuclear bomb does.

The nuclear scare that's going on right now is just that; a scare. Until the dust is settled, people should not really worry themselves with what's happening in that regard.

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This nuclear plant was constructed in a known seismic zone, so why didn't they build it with proper dampers similar to those used in skyscrapers in order to prevent exactly this scenario? I haven't found any evidence that it was built with dampers, so it seems that this entire issue right now is due to that oversight. But of course, the uninformed public won't see it that way...

I've been told by some here that Japan requires all nuclear plants to be built on bedrock to provide as stable a foundation as possible. Japan is paranoid about quakes and have put a lot of time and research into minimizing damage. I'd think it's a safe bet to say more than any other country even. But as said before, preparation can only go so far. This quake was huge; enough so that even the numerous aftershocks were at devastating levels. Considering the drills and safety seminars I've sat through, none focused much on tsunami. They probably never considered them to be this threatening. Essentially, this country was just blindsided by a devastating one two punch, and even far from the affected areas like where I live people are really on edge.

And even regions like mine on the southern tip of the main island are slowly being affected. I got an email earlier today from a friend saying that the power grids in the lower regions of Japan are going to start supporting the disaster zone up north in about an hour, and people are being told to ration their electric consumption.

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Which brings up my primary question at this point: This nuclear plant was constructed in a known seismic zone, so why didn't they build it with proper dampers similar to those used in skyscrapers in order to prevent exactly this scenario? I haven't found any evidence that it was built with dampers, so it seems that this entire issue right now is due to that oversight. But of course, the uninformed public won't see it that way...

At the time it was built, it was believed the maximum possible quake the fault could produce was a 7.9. It was built and tested to be able to withstand a 7.9, but what happened was a 9.0, which is about 45 times as large, and has only occured 5 times in all of recorded earthquake history.

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Man, I say one thing that wasn't accurate and everyone jumps on it. Which I don't think is bad, I'm glad to have the new information. If they did prepare it for a 7.9 quake, then I take back what I said about them not preparing. However, I will say this: it's freaking Mother Nature. If the largest quake you think it could release is a 7.9, prepare for much worse. And if they didn't prepare for a tsunami properly, as has been suggested, then that's just plain stupidity/ignorance right there. It's directly on the coast, for the love of whatever you find holy.

Still, I won't hold it against them too much. It was built in the 60's, when the people holding the money for funding construction (i.e. not scientists) probably didn't understand the true nature of these disasters like they do now. Even scientists probably didn't know fully, but the knowledge gap between them and the non-scientists was far greater. I'm willing to bet that if it were built these days, it'd have been far better protected and probably would have suffered minimal damage, if any.

Anyway, on the topic of ignorance and stupidity, I wish to point you guys to this picture: http://i.imgur.com/eFYYe.jpg

I'm this close to giving up on humanity. Or at least finding a remote island somewhere.

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Japan used to be considered remote... look how that ended up. :<

But fuck, it was generations ago. Most of the people that were actually in that fight are long dead, and the few that remain aren't exactly calling for the other sides blood all the time.

Dear These People,

The US got bombed by the Japanese in Hawaii back in WW2, we get that. Big losses, lots of damage, many people killed and wounded. But you made up for that with dropping two atomic bombs on Japan a few years later. Now you are spewing things like "but then I remembered they bombed us like, 100 years ago, so fuck them!" Did you forget that Japan has been an important ally for the last 60 years, you buy their video games, TVs and cars, watch their cartoons, and eat their food? If the whole bombing Pearl Harbour is such a big deal, then why are you watching the news about it on your Sony, Toshiba, Panasonic or Samsung HDTV?

Jesus christ, no wonder parts of the world don't like Americans. The stupidest members of your country seem to go out of their way to say the most inappropriate things during times of tragedy.

On a slightly lighter note, it turns out that the volcano is the real-world basis for Mt. Pyre in Pokémon Ruby, Sapphire and Emerald. It's where the bad guys steal the Blue and Red Orbs from the summit, and (in Ruby) use them to awaken Groudon, the big ground-type legendary that creates earthquakes and casts fiery doom upon the land.

I guess they made a good choice for that location, then.

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