For those who care: Current Fukishima headlines....

[dixiegrrrrl]

“Fukushima amounts to four Chernobyls” of cesium-137 contamination —
“It still seems to be just an effort to downplay the real scale of the event”
http://enenews.com/fukushima-amounts-to-four-chernobyls-worth-of-cesium-137-contamination-it-still-seems-to-be-just-an-effort-to-downplay-the-real-scale-of-the-event

Ambassador Murata makes public statement in English: Once a quake beyond magnitude 6 or 7 happens, then the world starts heading towards the ultimate catastrophe —
http://enenews.com/ambassador-murata-makes-public-statement-in-english-once-a-quake-beyond-magnitude-6-or-7-happens-then-the-world-starts-heading-towards-the-ultimate-catastrophe-unit-4-a-global-security-issue-vid

[Blue_In_AK]

1. My friend, Phil Munger, at ProgressiveAlaska is keeping close tabs on Fukushima.

You might be interested in monitoring his website. He has many links to Fukushima related blogs, etc., at his site here: http://progressivealaska.blogspot.com/ on the right-hand side of his home page.

[dixiegrrrrl]

8. Hey, Blue....thanks for the links...

[kristopher]

16. Here is another - this study explains why we need to be concerned

Last edited Sat May 26, 2012, 01:07 AM - Edit history (1)

Tomography of the 2011 Iwaki earthquake (M 7.0) and Fukushima nuclear power plant area
[font size="1.5"]P. Tong1,2, D. Zhao1, and D. Yang2 1Department of Geophysics, Tohoku University, Sendai 980-8578, Japan
2Department of Mathematical Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
Correspondence to: P. Tong, D. Zhao Published: 14 February 2012
Solid Earth, 3, 43–51, 2012 [/font]

Abstract.
High-resolution tomographic images of the crust and upper mantle in and around the area of the 2011 Iwaki earthquake (M 7.0) and the Fukushima nuclear power plant are determined by inverting a large number of high-quality arrival times with both the finite-frequency and ray tomography methods. The Iwaki earthquake and its aftershocks mainly occurred in a boundary zone with strong variations in seismic velocity and Poisson’s ratio. Prominent low-velocity and high Poisson’s ratio zones are revealed under the Iwaki source area and the Fukushima nuclear power plant, which may reflect fluids released from the dehydration of the subducting Pacific slab under Northeast Japan. The 2011 Tohoku-oki earthquake (Mw 9.0) caused static stress transfer in the overriding Okhotsk plate, resulting in the seismicity in the Iwaki source area that significantly increased immediately following the Tohoku-oki mainshock. Our results suggest that the Iwaki earthquake was triggered by the ascending fluids from the Pacific slab dehydration and the stress variation induced by the Tohoku-oki mainshock. The similar structures under the Iwaki source area and the Fukushima nuclear power plant suggest that the security of the nuclear power plant site should be strengthened to withstand potential large earthquakes in the future.

Download study here: http://www.solid-earth.net/3/43/2012/se-3-43-2012.pdf

Also, some claim that aftershocks of 3-11-11 in "nearby" Hamadori demonstrate that the structure of Building 4, housing fresh fuel containing plutonium, is proof that there is no need to worry. This is the Iwaki earth event referred to in the paper above. Clearly the authors of this paper disagree with the assessment of "some".
It is worth downloading the paper for the graphics if nothing else.

At the link below is another interesting map (topographic) showing the stresses from the quake.

[ErikJ]

10. A virus warning came up when I tried to go on that website.

Warning that I may contract a computer virus from it.

[Blue_In_AK]

11. That's weird. It's never happened to me.

I'll give Phil a head's up.

[jimlup]

2. Thanks

It is a concern that more people are not aware of the seriousness of this situation.

[happerbolic]

13. I really wonder if anybody....

.... really believes that the core discard storage tank really still exists anymore on that top floor of the #3 reactor?

[Art_from_Ark]

3. A few comments

First, Mr. Murata is a *former* ambassador to Switzerland, and I have no idea what his qualifications are for making statements about the situation in Fukushima. However, I think his statement that "Once a quake beyond magnitude 6 or 7 happens, then the world starts heading towards the ultimate catastrophe " is a little hyperbolic, given that there have already been several 6, even 7 earthquakes in the immediate vicinity of the reactors since the March 11-14 disasters. For example, between March 23 and April 12 of last year, there were 4 earthquakes in the Hamadori area (closest to the reactors) that registered a magnitude of at least a 6, and one even exceeded 7.

http://typhoon.yahoo.co.jp/weather/jp/earthquake/list/?e=251&sort=1&key=1&b=601

But more important than magnitude is *intensity*, that is, the potential for a seismic event to cause damage. The Japanese scale of seismic intensity rates earthquakes for their potential to cause damage, with ratings of 5 and above (maximum 7) having the potential to cause damage, with 6 representing major damage and 7 representing catastrophic damage. A couple of those earthquakes I mentioned above registered an intensity level of 6 in the vicinity of the reactors, but we are still here. Although the situation is far from stable or desirable, as one who is living within a couple hours drive from the reactors, I'm not going to panic just yet.

[alittlelark]

4. KnR here in N Cali.

[Overseas]

5. K&R. Very eerie how the Fukushima multiple meltdowns are being so underplayed.

We should have been continuously monitoring the fallout.

[Art_from_Ark]

6. The fallout IS being continuously monitored

Last edited Fri May 25, 2012, 01:21 AM - Edit history (1)

Fukushima Prefecture, municipalities in the affected areas, and various other public and private organizations have been monitoring this from practically the beginning. The problem is, most of the materials are in Japanese. However, you can get the airborne radiation levels for monthly averages converted into hourly readings for Fukushima Prefecture from this web site. The latest information is the default, but you can go back all the way to March 2011 by clicking on the upside-down triangle underneath the map scale. The red dots show the locations with the highest radiation readings, while the blue dots show the lowest readings (in microsieverts per hour). Click the 全データ button just above and to the right of the directional indicator to show all the data.

http://fukushima-radioactivity.jp/

[Flaxbee]

7. thanks, dixiegrrrl

my husband was one of the only Americans at Chernobyl after it blew; we are both very worried about Fukushima, and no one with the wherewithal to do anything really seems to give much of a damn about how dangerous this situation is.

Imagine evacuating Japan. Huh. Japan's neighbors should be screaming holy hell -- but everyone just sits, and waits, while the US green lights new nuclear power plants.

[dixiegrrrrl]

9. In the news the other day are Korea's plans to build a plant.

North Korea nuclear reactor construction progressing

WASHINGTON (AP) -- A U.S.-based institute said Wednesday new satellite imagery shows that North Korea has resumed building work on a reactor after months of inactivity.

That indicates the North is pressing on with efforts to expand its nuclear program, the institute says, despite international criticism. North Korea says the reactor is intended to generate electricity but its active pursuit of nuclear weapons raises doubts over its intentions.
http://mainichi.jp/english/english/newsselect/news/20120517p2g00m0in047000c.html

Insanity...

[happerbolic]

12. weapons grade or...

...for (so-called) peaceful power generation doubt there's much difference in the hands of North Korea - their haste in over proving themselves tend to lead to mishaps more readily it seems.

Off that topic,
I wonder if the cesium 135 & 137 dispersal simulations take into account the particulate weight of these elements draping off more than what is shown? Just doesn't seem like the vapor of these heavy isotopes would behave as, or lighter, than air. Didn't a lot of Chernobyl's blow-off taper down pretty drastic by time it reached the more northern stretches of EurAsia? Still a devastating distance, i realize.







as well as the not so chemically reactive, xenon

[RobertEarl]

19. Chernobyl blowoff went around the world

Sure, it was less by the time it got all the way around to Eurasia, but it did and some of it is probably still in the atmosphere.

As for heavier than air particles, you must recall that these particles are very energetic. And there is evidence that the very heavy element plutonium, broadcast from Fukushima, was found in Europe.

[happerbolic]

20. Very informative RE

Last edited Sun May 27, 2012, 12:49 AM - Edit history (1)

And Thank You

An uneducated guess on my part assumed the heavy atomic mass elements, especially the likes of each of the PU isotopes, would draw it down to the earth more frequent than what is really being detected, even in it's vaporized form.
http://enenews.com/journal-aerosolized-plutonium-from-fukushima-detected-in-europe-spent-fuel-indicated

The heat (energized) lift must really overcome lighter gases, compounding reactions & long distances then....huh....

[RobertEarl]

21. Read something somewhere

A Theory that the properties of radiation in an atom have an energy level that - in my terms - makes them fly. I wished i could find it again.

Also read on DU about plutonium had been found to actually move on its own. Think it had to do with decaying, and in that decaying pushed against other elements.

This stuff -"escaped radiation"- is really pretty new and unknown. We are experiencing things and science is recognizing things that we never had the chance to see before. Thanks to Fukushima.

We do live in interesting times.

[bananas]

14. Thanks for the updates, dixiegrrrrl. nt

[dixiegrrrrl]

15. I am going to keep at it, there is so little coverage.

Anyone who has good sources/links, I would appreciate them.

[FBaggins]

18. Oh... you wanted GOOD sources?

You'll have to stay away from the one in the OP then.

For the record, their "reporting" on this one was lousy. They failed to note that the reported cesium figure for Fukushima was the iodine equivelent, not the actual amount of cesium. Chernobyl's was the actual amount of cesium.

That leaves Chernobyl at about 8-10 times as high as all four damaged reactors combined.

http://ex-skf.blogspot.com/2012/05/telephone-game-for-nth-time-how.html

[RobertEarl]

17. Kick