Japan 8.9 Earthquake. Tsunami headed across Pacific Ocean

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If you're in Hawaii or anywhere in the pacific, get ready to take cover...it's said it will hit 3am in Hawaii (not sure which time zone) and I'm a bit worried in California here.

will post more links when i find out more.

 
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/42023385/ns/world_news-asia-pacific/

TOKYO â€” Japan was struck by a magnitude 8.9 earthquake off its northeastern coast Friday, unleashing a 13-foot tsunami that washed away cars and tore away buildings along the coast near the epicenter. There were reports of injuries in Tokyo.

The quake that struck at 2:46 p.m. was followed by a series of powerful aftershocks, including a 7.4-magnitude one about 30 minutes later. The U.S. Geological Survey upgraded the strength of the first quake to a magnitude 8.9, while Japan's meteorological agency measured it at 7.9.

The earliest that hazardous waves could hit Hawaii is 2:59 a.m. local time, said the agency, based in Ewa Beach, NBC station KHNL reported.

 
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2011/mar/10/tsunami-huge-japanese-quake-wont-affect-california/?sciquest'>http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2011/mar/10/tsunami-huge-japanese-quake-wont-affect-california/?sciquest

"Based on all available data, a tsunami may have been generated by this earthquake that could be destructive on coastal areas even far from the epicenter," the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center says. "An investigation is underway to determine if there is a tsunami threat to Hawaii. If tsunami waves impact Hawaii the estimated earliest arrival of the first tsunami wave is 2:59 a.m. HST Friday, March 11."

Bob Dollar, a seismologist at USGS in Pasadena, told the Union-Tribune at 11:23 p.m. PST Thursday that, "If we were to get some energy from this it would happen about 8:30 a.m. Friday morning in California. My guess is that any energy would not be damaging. The tsunami warning centers are showing our coasts clear. But that could change over the next couple of hours as the wave starts to go across the Pacific basin."

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2011/mar/10/tsunami-huge-japanese-quake-wont-affect-california/?sciquest

The warning center said in a statement, "A tsunami has been generated that could cause damage along coastlines of all islands in the state of Hawaii. Urgent action should be taken to protect lives and property.

"All shores are at risk no matter which direction they face. The trough of a tsunami wave may temporarily expose the sea floor but the area will quickly flood again ...

 
TV news just said that California isn't currently in the "warning" for a tsunami, but we are under a "watch"

Sirens are going off right now in Hawaii, expecting that to be hit in around 3 hours.  If you are in Hawaii, GET PREPARED!!! if you haven't listened to the sirens already, this is NOT a drill for you!!

 
http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/asiapcf/03/11/japan.quake/index.html

The epicenter was 373 kilometers (231 miles) away from the capital, Tokyo, the United States Geological Survey said. But residents there felt the tremors.

Such a large earthquake at such a shallow depth creates a lot of energy, said Shenza Chen of the U.S. Geological Survey.

It caused a power outage in about 4 million homes in Tokyo and surrounding areas.

Tv just said that preliminary reports might only be a half meter for LA

Hawaii might see waves as high as 5 meters

 
http://wcatwc.arh.noaa.gov/2011/03/11/lhvpd9/03/messagelhvpd9-03.htm

The Tsunami Watch continues in effect for the coastal areas of California, Oregon, Washington, British Columbia and Alaska from the California-Mexico border to Chignik Bay, Alaska.

All power plants in japan were secure, with only some water damage.  Don't see too high of a death count yet, only one so far but many many injuries. edit, tv just said death toll is rising rapidly

 
The west coast for the most part is fine, as long as we stay out of the water.  I heard this morning that Hawaii didn't have too much damage...the water did come up (I think I recall them saying 6 foot waves?) but the majority of it stopped at the hotel line, so there weren't really any injuries.

Japan, however, is a much different story.  They're saying that they found an area near the beach with over 200 bodies this morning.  So unexpected...the aftershocks were no joke either.  They said last night that the earthquake was big enough to change the ocean floor.  I guess at least it happened off shore? I can't imagine if that would have actually happened in the middle of a city or something, although maybe then the tsunami waves that were flowing over the land there might not have been there.

 
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/42023385/ns/world_news-asia-pacific/

Key details:

  • Police say 200 to 300 bodies found in Sendai after tsunami
  • Dam breaks in Fukushima prefecture, washing away homes
  • Coast Guard searching for ship carrying 80
  • At least 90 fires in northeast Japan
  • Train with unknown number of passengers is missing
  • Pressure rising at nuclear plant , thousands evacuated
  • Japanese PM cites 'major damage'
  • 4 million lose power in Tokyo area
  • 65 aftershocks, many above 6.0
  • Tsunami reaches Hawaii
  • Smaller waves reach Oregon, Calif. coasts


According to Japanese police, 200 to 300 bodies were found in Sendai, the coastal city closest to the epicenter. Another 137 people were confirmed killed, with 531 missing. At least 627 people were injured.   The city, with a population of 74,000, has residential, light industry and fishing areas.

police told the Kyodo news agency that a passenger train with an unknown number of people aboard was missing in one coastal area.

The government ordered thousands of residents near a nuclear power plant in Onahama to evacuate because the plant's system was unable to cool the reactor and pressure inside is rising. The reactor's core remained hot even after a shutdown, and a radiation leak was seen as possible. The plant is 170 miles northeast of Tokyo.

The Defense Ministry dispatched dozens of troops trained to deal with chemical disaster to the plant in case of a radiation leak.

Tokyo's Narita airport was closed indefinitely.

---

The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake hit at 2:46 p.m. local time and was a magnitude 8.9, the biggest earthquake to hit Japan since officials began keeping records in the late 1800s — and the fifth strongest ever recorded worldwide.

Japan's worst previous quake was in 1923 in Kanto, an 8.3-magnitude temblor that killed 143,000 people, according to USGS. A 7.2-magnitude quake in Kobe city in 1995 killed 6,400 people.

A magnitude-8.8 temblor that shook central Chile last February also generated a tsunami and killed 524 people.

 
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-12709598

Officials say 350 people are dead and about 500 missing, but it is feared the final death toll will be much higher.

In one ward alone in Sendai, a port city in Miyagi prefecture, 200 to 300 bodies were found.

http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2011/03/12/japan-earthquake-live-blog-death-toll-rises-amid-widespread-destruction/

The death toll from the 8.9-magnitude earthquake that hit Japan rose to 433, the nation's Kyodo News reported Saturday. At least 784 are missing, Kyodo said, citing police.

Earlier, the news agency said the death toll from the massive earthquake would likely surpass 1,000.

 
http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/asiapcf/03/11/japan.quake/index.html

Friday's quake is the strongest earthquake in recorded history to hit Japan, according to U.S. Geologic Survey records. The previous record was an 8.6-magnitude earthquake that struck near the Chubu Region near southwestern Honshu on October 28, 1707, that may have killed 5,000 people, CNN meteorologist Sean Morris said.

Some waves reached six miles (10 kilometers) inland in Miyagi Prefecture on Japan's east coast.

30-foot walls of water

The quake, which struck at 2:46 p.m. (12:46 a.m. ET), prompted the U.S. National Weather Service to issue tsunami warnings for at least 50 countries and territories.

Scores of aftershocks jarred the country Saturday, punctuated by a pair of strong earthquakes in the early morning, including one with a magnitude of 7.1 and another with a magnitude of 6.8.

A leak occurred in an atomic power plant in northeast Japan, a spokesman for Japan's nuclear agency said Saturday. Cooling equipment stopped working when generators failed in the quake, and the temperature inside the plant in the Fukushima prefecture had risen...Kyodo said radiation levels were 1,000 times above normal in the the control room of the facility's reactor.

The prime minister said an emergency task force had been activated, and he appealed for calm. The government dispatched 8,000 troops to assist in the recovery effort and asked for U.S. military assistance, according to Kyodo.  By early Saturday, more than 50 countries had offered help, said Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. U.S. President Barack Obama offered his condolences and said the United States was standing by to help "in this time of great trial."  The U.S. Navy initiated reconnaissance flights to map the disaster zone and was moving the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan into position to assist the Japanese government with relief efforts, defense officials said.

The magnitude of the earthquake and its shallow depth -- 15.2 miles (24.5 kilometers) -- created a lot of energy, said Shenza Chen of the U.S. Geological Survey.

The impact was felt far and wide. In McKinleyville, California, a wave swept three men into the Pacific Ocean as they were reportedly trying to take photos of the incoming tsunami waves, according to the U.S. Coast Guard. Two of the men returned to shore, but one died, officials said.

The tsunami brought waves of nearly 7 feet to a harbor in Maui (Hawaii). On the U.S. mainland, wave heights from Alaska to California ranged from less than a foot to more than 8 feet. The highest measurement, 8.1 feet, was at Crescent City, California

 
I have been following this and it just makes me cry. Now they are facing a very possible nuclear meltdown. It is like things just keep piling on. :( /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" />

 
I've heard more than a few times that Japan's government is a lot better organized for natural disasters than the US is, and had it happened to any other country things would probably be a lot worse, but it's still really bad regardless.  Over 50 countries have offered their help and services

 
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-03-13/japan-tries-to-contain-nuclear-leak-as-earthquake-death-toll-may-top-1-400.html

Official death toll so far is 801...

It was the biggest within the boundaries of the North American and Pacific tectonic plates in 1,200 years, Applegate said. Within an hour of the March 11 quake, a 7-meter-high tsunami that engulfed towns on the northern coast, washing away buildings, vehicles and boats.

http://www.redorbit.com/news/science/2010872/japan_quake_changed_earths_rotation/

and holy cow...

"Earth's rotation accelerated by 1.6 microseconds because of the shift in mass caused by the massive quake"

 
Did you read that their coastline was moved 8 feet? I read about it changing our planet's axis.

 

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