Radioactive Water at Fukushima an ‘Emergency’: Watchdog

EXCLUSIVE

TEPCO’s “sense of crisis is weak:”  Japan’s NRA

Highly radioactive water from Japan’s crippled Fukushima nuclear plant is leaking into the ocean creating an “emergency” that the operator, TEPCO, may be unable to contain, said an official from the country’s nuclear watchdog.

“This contaminated groundwater has breached an underground barrier, is rising toward the surface and is exceeding legal limits of radioactive discharge, Shinji Kinjo, head of a Nuclear Regulatory Authority (NRA) task force,” told Reuters.

Tokyo Electric Power Co’s “sense of crisis is weak,” Kinjo said. “This is why you can’t just leave it up to Tepco alone” to deal with the ongoing disaster.

“Right now, we have an emergency,” he said.

A total of up to 40 trillion becquerels of radioactive tritium may have leaked into the ocean since the disaster, said TEPCO, insisting that it was within legal limits.

• Full report is posted HERE.
• Related news link: Radioactive Fukushima groundwater rises above barrier

Probability of a Nuclear Disaster by Country

The following probability figures  calculated by FIRE-EARTH on April 8, 2011 still hold!

• Japan (880)³
• United States (865)
• France (855)
• Taiwan (850)
• Belgium, China, Finland, India,  South Korea, United Kingdom, Ukraine, Russia, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Armenia, Slovenia, Croatia, Romania,  Hungary, Bulgaria, Spain,  Pakistan, Argentina, Brazil, Mexico,  South Africa, Canada (810)
• Germany, Sweden, Netherlands (800)
• Switzerland  (750)

Notes:

1. The list represents a snapshot of events at the time of calculating the probabilities. Any forecast posted  here is subject to numerous variable factors.
2. Figures in the bracket represent the probability of an incident occurring out of 1,000; the forecast duration is valid for the next 50  months.
3. Probability includes a significant worsening of Fukushima nuclear disaster, and future quakes forecast for Japan.
4. A nuclear incident is defined as a level 5 (Accident With Wider Consequences), or worse, on the International Nuclear and Radiological Event Scale (INES). See below.
5. Safety issues considered in compiling these lists include the age, number of units and capacity of nuclear reactors in each country/state, previous incidents, probability of damage from human-enhanced natural disasters, e.g., earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic activity, hurricanes, tornadoes, storms, wildfires, flooding…]
6. The  Blog’s knowledge concerning the extent to which the factors described in (3) might worsen during the forecast period greatly influences the forecast. (Last UPDATED: June 26, 2011)

Nuclide Analysis Results of the Underground Reservoirs

• Nuclide Analysis Results of the Underground Reservoirs/Observation Holes (As of August 4) – TEPCO Website

Related Links

• Nuke Disasters
• Japan Quakes
• Probability of a Nuclear Disaster by Country
• Record High Radiation Found in Fukushima Fish March 1, 2013
• Radiation Record Broken by Fukushima Fish March 18, 2013
• Fukushima Pre-Harvested Rice Contaminated by Radiation September 24, 2011
• Japan Earthquakes, Disasters: Recent History and FIRE-EARTH Forecasts

Also search the blog for dozens of additional entries on “Fukushima.”

JAPAN MEGA QUAKE UPDATE 3 – March 12

First Wave of Collapsing Cities Intensifying

New Earthquake West of Honshu Unleashes Avalanches, Destroys Large Sections of Nagano Railway

The quake measuring up to 6.6Mw struck about 45km NNE of Nagano, the capital city of Nagano Prefecture, west coast of Honshu.

The quake struck at a depth of about 10km Friday, March 11, 2011 at 18:59 UTC (3:59am local time), triggering large landslides and avalanches in the snow-topped mountainous area, and destroying roads and railway sections.

EQ Location Map. Source: USGS. Map enhanced by FIRE-EARTH

Sendai Mega Quake – Update March 12

NEW Major Tsunamis Warnings

Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) has issued a new round of Tsunami Warnings for Japan Region, including Major Tsunamis Warnings for at least 18 prefectures (states) on the eastern coast of Hokkaido island, NE, E and southeastern coast of Honshu island.

Meanwhile, as the extent of damage becomes clear, witnesses speak of “colossal damage” from the Mega Quake and its associated Tsunami, with entire towns “washed away” along the eastern coast of Honshu.

FIRE-EARTH has estimated that the cost of damage could reach a trillion dollars.

Radiation Leak at Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant

Radiation Leak Confirmed at Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant Reactor No. 1, Following Sendai Mega Quake

Nuclear reactor No. 1

Japanese authorities have confirmed radiation leak at Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant Reactor No. 1, and have evacuated people living with a 10-km radius of the reactor.

Nuclear reactor No. 2

They now fear radiation leak at the Plant’s Reactor No. 2, and have evacuated people living within a 3-km radius  of that reactor. They have also put on evacuation notice everyone living within a 10-km radius of the reactor

Death Toll from Sendai Mega Quake and the Tsunami

Confirmed death toll stands at 242 victims, with more than a 1,000 people reported as missing, as of 02:00UTC Saturday, March 12, 2011.

Earthquake FIRES

• There are at least 50 large to major fires still burning, as of posting.
• The 3 fires at Cosmo Oil Refinery in Ichihara City, Chiba prefecture (near Tokyo) were burning out of control, as of latest reports.
• The Kawasaki Steel Plant in Soga city (also in Chiba Pref) has reportedly “exploded.”

Aftershocks

At least 130 significant aftershocks (≥5.0Mw) have struck near March 11 Sendai Mega Quake, with the   latest measuring 6.8Mw timed at 01:47:16 UTC Saturday, March 12, 2011.

EQ Location Map of the latest significant aftershock measuring 6.8Mw. Source: USGS

Largest 5 Earthquakes Since 1900

The Sendai Mega Quake was the 5th largest earthquake to occur globally since 1900. The following image and list show the location, magnitude and other details of the shocks.

Click image to enlarge. Source: USGS/EHP

	Location	Date UTC	Magnitude	Lat.	Long.	Reference
1.	Chile	1960 05 22	9.5	-38.29	-73.05	Kanamori, 1977
2.	Prince William Sound, Alaska	1964 03 28	9.2	61.02	-147.65	Kanamori, 1977
3.	Off the West Coast of Northern Sumatra	2004 12 26	9.1	3.30	95.78	Park et al., 2005
4.	Kamchatka	1952 11 04	9.0	52.76	160.06	Kanamori, 1977
5.	Offshore East Coast of Honshu, Japan	2011 03 11	8.9	38.32°N	-142.37°E	FIRE-EARTH

A list of the 15 largest earthquakes since 1900 is available at USGS site.

Map of Sendai Mega Quake

A map of the location of the Sendai March 11 Mega Quake, including foreshocks (dotted lines) and aftershocks (solid lines) incorporating elevation data from NASA’s Shuttle Radar Topography Mission and ocean bathymetry data from the BODC. Source NASA-EO. Click image to enlarge. Download larger image (398 KB, JPEG).  Acquired March 11, 2011.

Related Links:

• The First Wave of World’s Collapsing Cities
• 2011 – 2012: A Time for Mega Disasters
• 2010: Year One of Human-Enhanced Disasters

Japan 7.2 Quake Strikes Off the Coast of Honshu

Earthquake Measuring 7.2Mw Strikes Off  the Coast of Sendai, Japan

The mainshock struck about 168km east of Sendai and was followed by at least 4 significant aftershocks, as of posting, the largest of which measured 6.3Mw.

The quake was widely felt throughout Tokyo region, but there was no report of major damage or casualties in the capital.

Earthquake Details (Source: JMA)

• Occurred at (locakl time):  11:45 JST   on 09 Mar 2011
• Epicenter
  • Latitude:  38.3ºN
  • Longitude: 143.3ºE
• Depth: 10km
• Magnitude: 7.2Mw
• Region: Sanriku Oki

Earthquake location map. Epicenter is marked by a red cross. Bubbles indicate severity of the tremor as felt by local monitoring stations throughout Japan. Source: JMA.

Distances (USGS)

• 168 km (104 miles) E of Sendai, Honshu, Japan
• 193 km (119 miles) SE of Morioka, Honshu, Japan
• 216 km (134 miles) E of Yamagata, Honshu, Japan
• 413 km (256 miles) NE of TOKYO, Japan

Earthquake location map.  Source: USGS

Aftershocks:

Tsunami Details

Initial tsunami observation: Click here for full details.

Tsunami Warning/Advisory

Issued at 11:48 JST 09 Mar 2011
Tsunami Advisory
PACIFIC COAST OF AOMORI PREF.
IWATE PREF.
MIYAGI PREF.
FUKUSHIMA PREF.

Latest Information: Tsunami Information NUMBER 7