What next? Godzilla!

[JackLuis]

Tsunami hits Japan after 8.8 magnitude earthquake

http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/01846/earthquake2_1846054c.jpg

And there's Volcanoes!

(You have to look down on the bottom right.)

Some of the TV video is scary. the tsunami was 12 Meters and growing!

 

[Weird Harold]

Some of the TV video is scary. the tsunami was 12 Meters and growing!

Tsunami Warning in effect for Hawaii for Approx 0330 HST. Not exepcted to be anything close to the 12m size near the epicenter, but still not something you'd want to surf.

Current news reports are saying it has been upgraded to an 8.9 and is the seventh strongest quake ever recorded. The last comparable quake in Japan (Kyoto) was only a 7.9 and killed 2,000+

 

[DormantEvil]

Good luck guys, get to higher ground if you can. Or prepare for anything bad just in case.

I'm generalizing here, but I'm betting all of Lit is with me when I say "Stay Safe".

 

[colddiesel]

Tuvalu is not a good place to be. The predicted wave will be higher than the island

 

[trysail]

http://www.weather.gov/ptwc/text.php?id=hawaii.2011.03.11.113308

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.
A TSUNAMI IS A SERIES OF LONG OCEAN WAVES. EACH INDIVIDUAL WAVE
CREST CAN LAST 5 TO 15 MINUTES OR MORE AND EXTENSIVELY FLOOD
COASTAL AREAS. THE DANGER CAN CONTINUE FOR MANY HOURS AFTER THE
INITIAL WAVE AS SUBSEQUENT WAVES ARRIVE. TSUNAMI WAVE HEIGHTS
CANNOT BE PREDICTED AND THE FIRST WAVE MAY NOT BE THE LARGEST.
TSUNAMI WAVES EFFICIENTLY WRAP AROUND ISLANDS. ALL SHORES ARE AT
RISK NO MATTER WHICH DIRECTION THEY FACE. THE TROUGH OF A TSUNAMI
WAVE MAY TEMPORARILY EXPOSE THE SEAFLOOR BUT THE AREA WILL
QUICKLY FLOOD AGAIN. EXTREMELY STRONG AND UNUSUAL NEARSHORE
CURRENTS CAN ACCOMPANY A TSUNAMI. DEBRIS PICKED UP AND CARRIED
BY A TSUNAMI AMPLIFIES ITS DESTRUCTIVE POWER. SIMULTANEOUS HIGH
TIDES OR HIGH SURF CAN SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASE THE TSUNAMI HAZARD.
THE ESTIMATED ARRIVAL TIME IN HAWAII OF THE FIRST TSUNAMI WAVE IS
0307 AM HST FRI 11 MAR 2011

Tectonic Summary
by USGS

The 03/11/2011 earthquake (preliminary magnitude 8.9) near the east coast of Honshu, Japan, occurred as a result of thrust faulting on or near the subduction zone interface plate boundary between the Pacific and North America plates. At the latitude of this earthquake, the Pacific plate moves approximately westwards with respect to the North America plate at a velocity of 83 mm/yr. The Pacific plate thrusts underneath Japan at the Japan Trench, and dips to the west beneath Eurasia. The location, depth, and focal mechanism of the March 11 earthquake are consistent with the event having occurred as thrust faulting associated with subduction along this plate boundary. Note that some authors divide this region into several microplates that together define the relative motions between the larger Pacific, North America and Eurasia plates; these include the Okhotsk and Amur microplates that are respectively part of North America and Eurasia.

The March 11 earthquake was preceded by a series of large foreshocks over the previous two days, beginning on March 9th with an M 7.2 event approximately 40 km from the March 11 earthquake, and continuing with a further 3 earthquakes greater than M 6 on the same day.

The Japan Trench subduction zone has hosted 9 events of magnitude 7 or greater since 1973. The largest of these was an M 7.8 earthquake approximately 260 km to the north of the March 11 event, in December 1994, which caused 3 fatalities and almost 700 injuries. In June of 1978, an M 7.7 earthquake 35 km to the southwest caused 22 fatalities and over 400 injuries.

http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eqinthenews/2011/usc0001xgp/#summary

To: U.S. West Coast, Alaska, and British Columbia coastal regions
From: NOAA/NWS/West Coast and Alaska Tsunami Warning Center
Subject: Tsunami Warning and Advisory #6 issued 03/11/2011 at 2:37AM PST
http://wcatwc.arh.noaa.gov/2011/03/11/lhvpd9/06/messagelhvpd9-06.htm

This message keeps the warning and advisory regions fixed and adds new tsunami observations. A link is provided for tsunami amplitude forecasts.

The Tsunami Warning continues in effect for the coastal areas of California and Oregon from Point Concepcion, California to the Oregon-Washington border.

The Tsunami Warning continues in effect for the coastal areas of Alaska from Amchitka Pass, Alaska (125 miles W of Adak) to Attu, Alaska.

The Tsunami Advisory continues in effect for the coastal areas of California from the California-Mexico border to Point Concepcion, California.

The Tsunami Advisory continues in effect for the coastal areas of Washington, British Columbia and Alaska from the Oregon-Washington border to Amchitka Pass, Alaska (125 miles W of Adak).

A Tsunami Warning means that all coastal residents in the warning area who are near the beach or in low-lying regions should move immediately inland to higher ground and away from all harbors and inlets including those sheltered directly from the sea. Those feeling the earth shake, seeing unusual wave action, or the water level rising or receding may have only a few minutes before the tsunami arrival and should move immediately. Homes and small buildings are not designed to withstand tsunami impacts. Do not stay in these structures.

All residents within the warned area should be alert for instructions broadcast from their local civil authorities. A tsunami has been recorded.

A Tsunami Advisory means that a tsunami capable of producing strong currents or waves dangerous to persons in or very near the water is expected. Significant, widespread inundation is not expected for areas under an advisory. Currents may be hazardous to swimmers, boats, and coastal structures and may continue for several hours after the initial wave arrival.

At 9:46 PM Pacific Standard Time on March 10, an earthquake with preliminary magnitude 8.9 occurred near the east coast of Honshu, Japan . (Refer to the United States Geological Survey for official earthquake parameters.) This earthquake has generated a tsunami which could cause damage to coastal regions in a warning or advisory. Estimated tsunami arrival times and maps along with safety rules and other information can be found on the WCATWC web site.

Measurements or reports of tsunami activity:

 Location                   Lat.   Lon.    Time        Amplitude ------------------------  -----  ------  -------     -----------
 Tosashimizu  Japan        32.8N  132.9E  0747UTC   00.9FT/00.27M
 Tokai  Japan              33.8N  137.6E  0645UTC   00.8FT/00.25M
 Ofunato  Japan            39.0N  141.8E  0605UTC   10.8FT/03.29M
 Hanasaki  Japan           43.3N  145.6E  0643UTC   09.3FT/02.82M
 Boso  Japan               34.8N  140.8E  0609UTC   02.6FT/00.78M
 Minamitorishima  Japan    24.3N  154.0E  0747UTC   01.5FT/00.45M
 Naha  Japan               26.2N  127.7E  0902UTC   00.7FT/00.20M
 Saipan  USA               15.2N  145.7E  0901UTC   02.6FT/00.79M
 Wake Is.  USA             19.3N  166.6E  0918UTC   01.6FT/00.50M
 Shemya, Alaska            52.7N  174.1E  1028UTC   01.3FT/00.43M

Time - Time of measurement.
Amp. - Tsunami amplitudes are measured relative to normal sea level. It is NOT crest-to-trough wave height. Values are given in both meters (M) and feet (FT).

TSUNAMI AMPLITUDES ARE EXPECTED TO PEAK TWO TO THREE HOURS AFTER INITIAL ARRIVAL ALONG THE NORTH AMERICAN COAST. FORECAST TSUNAMI AMPLITUDES ARE AVAILABLE ON THE WCATWC WEB SITE WCATWC.ARH.NOAA.GOV.
Tsunamis can be dangerous waves that are not survivable. Wave heights are amplified by irregular shoreline and are difficult to forecast. Tsunamis often appear as a strong surge and may be preceded by a receding water level. Mariners in water deeper than 600 feet should not be affected by a tsunami. Wave heights will increase rapidly as water shallows. Tsunamis are a series of ocean waves which can be dangerous for several hours after the initial wave arrival. DO NOT return to evacuated areas until an all clear is given by local civil authorities.

Pacific coastal regions outside California, Oregon, Washington, British Columbia, and Alaska should refer to the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center messages for information on the event.

This message will be updated in 60 minutes or sooner if the situation warrants. The tsunami message will remain in effect until further notice. For further information stay tuned to NOAA Weather Radio, your local TV or radio stations, or see the WCATWC web site.


http://wcatwc.arh.noaa.gov/2011/03/11/lhvpd9/06/messagelhvpd9-06.htm

Pacific Tsunami Warning Center
http://www.weather.gov/ptwc/index.php

http://www.weather.gov/ptwc/images/nglobal_map.jpg​

 

[lovecraft68]

http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/01846/earthquake2_1846054c.jpg

And there's Volcanoes!

(You have to look down on the bottom right.)

Some of the TV video is scary. the tsunami was 12 Meters and growing!

As more and more of this type of thing happens, along with all the recent politcal upheaval around the world I just can;t help but think:

"The end of days."

Not only the Mayan calenar and Nostradamus but read Revelations. It's getting scary.

 

[DormantEvil]

I'm planning a world trip for 2012 just in case. Ticking off a lot of 'Things to Do'.

But I'm hoping Hawaii escapes with just a few washed beaches and no loss of life.

 

[LettersFromTatyana]

Sigh. At least the crazy folks down here in North Carolina are already using the tsunami for their own ends. A couple just stopped by our house and asked if we thought "the tsunami was God's way of punishing sinners."



I love the use of death and destruction to sell a church as much as the next person (ahem, please note sarcasm), but geez, can't they at least wait a day or so?

 

[3113]

Some of the TV video is scary. the tsunami was 12 Meters and growing!

Current news reports are saying it has been upgraded to an 8.9 and is the seventh strongest quake ever recorded.

This is terrible! I remember the Northridge quake which was 6.7. A 7.7 would be ten times worse, and 8.7 would be ten times worse than that! Godzilla indeed. The only positive was that the epicenter was 250 miles from Tokyo and 20 miles under the Earth. Which means it didn't hit Japan full force, but shit! I wouldn't want to be within 500 miles of a quake like that!

Here's the latest:

*The 8.9 magnitude earthquake struck 250 miles (400km) from Tokyo at a depth of 20 miles.
*200-300 bodies have been found on the beach in Sendai, Japan the closest city to the earthquake’s epicenter.
*A “nuclear emergency” has been declared due to complications at a major Japanese nuclear power plant.
*Over 2,800 people have been ordered to evacuate an area near another Japanese nuclear power plant, the Fukushima No. 1 power plant northeast of Tokyo, because its cooling system failed.
*The Japanese coast guard is searching for a ship carrying 80 workers on it.
*The first tsunami waves have hit Hawaii.
*Tsunami warnings are now in effect for Hawaii, California, Oregon and Alaska.

I don't know if anyone here on Lit is also in Japan, but I hope the Japanese can hold on and stay safe. Because that big a quake often has aftershocks.

 

[stephen55]

"The end of days"...is about five billion years away...

As more and more of this type of thing happens, along with all the recent politcal upheaval around the world I just can;t help but think:

"The end of days."

Not only the Mayan calenar and Nostradamus but read Revelations. It's getting scary.

Japan lies on the cusp of the Pacific-Philippine-Eurasian triple plate junction, where the complex interactions of three tectonic plates is unpredictable and loaded with potential activity.
http://www.platetectonics.com/oceanfloors/japan.asp


I'm thinking...regular old earthquake activity in a region well known for earthquake activity.

That the Mayans didn't have the foresight to realize that a calendar should go on forever doesn't cause me any concern.

Nostradamus was an early sixteenth century French apothecary who wrote vague and tenuous quatrains in an obscure and obsolete version of the French language. They are so vague and tenuous as to make them useless for any test of genuine predictive abilities. While an endless series of cranks have mistranslated and misinterpreted the quatrains, the original works read like a typical horoscope casted by a typical astrologer. They are wordy enough to appear specific at first glance while actually being nothing more than wandering and pointless claptrap.

The Book of Revelation (note the lack of the plural) reads like an account of a very bad experience with hallucinogenics, likely ergot poisoning from contaminated rye grain.

Robert G. Ingersoll branded Revelation "the insanest of all books".[78] Thomas Jefferson omitted it, along with most of the Biblical canon, from the Jefferson Bible, and wrote that at one time he considered it as "merely the ravings of a maniac, no more worthy nor capable of explanation than the incoherences of our own nightly dreams."[79] George Bernard Shaw described it as "a peculiar record of the visions of a drug addict".[80]

Martin Luther changed his perspective on Revelation over time. In the preface to the German translation of Revelation that he composed in 1522, he said that he did not consider the book prophetic or apostolic, since "Christ is neither taught nor known in it." But in the completely new preface that he composed in 1530, he reversed his position and concluded that Christ was central to the book. He concluded, "As we see here in this book, that through and beyond all plagues, beasts, and evil angels, Christ is nonetheless with the saints and wins the final victory."[81] John Calvin "had grave doubts about its value."[82]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Book_of_Revelation

I'll admit to believing in "The end of days". It will happen in about five billion years when the sun has exhausted most of it's core hydrogen fuel and swells into a Red Giant. It will likely expand in size to encompass the Earth and possibly even Mars. Personally, I'm not worried about it.

 

[voluptuary_manque]

An 8.9 is HUGE. Earthquake building standards don't go that high because you simply cannot build against something that strong. Then add in a 20+ foot high tsunami and you get what can only be called a truly humbling catastrophe. It's not that it's not nice to fool Mother Nature, it's not possible. Mama will know. Mama will getcha!

 

[TE999]

Tokyo's in a state of chaos.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/as_japan_quake_tokyo_standstill

Hundreds are dead in the ensuing tsunami.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/as_japan_earthquake

 

[stephen55]

Tokyo's in a state of chaos.

And here's why...

http://blog.wordtothewise.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/godzilla.jpg


You just never know what an earthquake in Japan will uncover...

 

[3113]

Mea Culpa, apparently I underestimated the magnitude. It's not merely 10 X 10 times stronger than our 6.7. One seismologist said that this Earthquake was something like 30,000 times stronger than the Northridge And those nearest the epicenter are saying that it could have lasted as long as five minutes

Just watching video of the quake happening it goes on and on far longer than any other quake I've been in or heard of. It's evidently going to rank something like 5 on the list of worst quakes since they started measuring the things with modern instruments.

As chaotic as Tokyo seems to be, i have to say, however, that I think the Japanese government and governments rushing to their aid seem to be handling this marvelously well. It's a tribute to how global we've truly become that not only the country hit, but countries around the world know how to respond and do.

 

[3113]

The Book of Revelation (note the lack of the plural) reads like an account of a very bad experience with hallucinogenics, likely ergot poisoning from contaminated rye grain.

One theory for why Revelations is so hard to decipher is that it is actually "code" (an elaborate metaphor, if you like) referring to the current events and people of the time. I don't know where one can find information on this, but I recall hearing that the number of the beast, for example, works out perfectly for the Emperor Nero. So instead of saying what you think about Nero, you disguise him as this "beast" and when you say the number that is his name, everyone knows who you're really talking about. Thus, you can say what you think about what Nero is doing and what will happen to him without naming names and getting into trouble.

Thus, the book might well have been a political diatribe against Rome and those helping Rome oppress the Middle East. This was combined with the not-uncommon assertion that unhappy religious folk always have that god will appear to save them and smite their enemies.

Certainly, certain branches of Christianity (and Judaism at that time with it's prediction of a Messiah), were predicting that Roman occupation and oppression signaled "end times" and the coming of some miracle to eradicate the invaders, reward the faithful, and restore the world to the way it ought to be.

 

[voluptuary_manque]

One theory for why Revelations is so hard to decipher is that it is actually "code" (an elaborate metaphor, if you like) referring to the current events and people of the time. I don't know where one can find information on this, but I recall hearing that the number of the beast, for example, works out perfectly for the Emperor Nero. So instead of saying what you think about Nero, you disguise him as this "beast" and when you say the number that is his name, everyone knows who you're really talking about. Thus, you can say what you think about what Nero is doing and what will happen to him without naming names and getting into trouble.

Thus, the book might well have been a political diatribe against Rome and those helping Rome oppress the Middle East. This was combined with the not-uncommon assertion that unhappy religious folk always have that god will appear to save them and smite their enemies.

Certainly, certain branches of Christianity (and Judaism at that time with it's prediction of a Messiah), were predicting that Roman occupation and oppression signaled "end times" and the coming of some miracle to eradicate the invaders, reward the faithful, and restore the world to the way it ought to be.

Well done. The number 666 when translated into Roman numerals is a numerological spelling of Nero. So what you understand is the "standard model" in theological academia, at least the part of theological academia that isn't still stuck to the 'inerrant' twaddle. Another thing to keep in mind is that the other main Christian tradition, Eastern Orthodoxy, to my knowledge doesn't even include Revelation in its Bible. Probably a good decision, IMO. As for Father Martin, we must remember that he was a Medieval man who did his best thinking in his youth and middle years. By the time he decided that Revelation belonged in the Bible, he was old, cranky, arthritic, etc. all conditions that weigh against 'radical' thought.

 

[3113]

Video from inside a supermarket during the quake.

Skyscrapers during the quake (I know the buildings are supposed to sway and it's a good thing they did, but damn!)

 

[voluptuary_manque]

Video from inside a supermarket during the quake.

Skyscrapers during the quake (I know the buildings are supposed to sway and it's a good thing they did, but damn!)

Better moving than breaking or falling but I'm sure glad I wasn't in the top floors of those things. Feller'd get bounced off the walls. Is that a plot bunny? Nah, I don't think so.

 

[3113]

Aftershock!

A bit tardy here, but there was either an aftershock or another quake triggered by the first quake. Here's the raw info:

Magnitude: 6.2
Date-Time: Friday, March 11, 2011 at 18:59:15 UTC
Saturday, March 12, 2011 at 03:59:15 AM at epicenter

Location: 37.037°N, 138.355°E Depth 10 km (6.2 miles)

Region: NEAR THE WEST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN

Distances:
46 km (28 miles) NNE of Nagano, Honshu, Japan
96 km (59 miles) NNE of Matsumoto, Honshu, Japan
96 km (59 miles) NW of Maebashi, Honshu, Japan
195 km (121 miles) NW of TOKYO, Japan

Location Uncertainty:
horizontal +/- 12.9 km (8.0 miles); depth +/- 0.2 km (0.1 miles)

 

[lovecraft68]

Japan lies on the cusp of the Pacific-Philippine-Eurasian triple plate junction, where the complex interactions of three tectonic plates is unpredictable and loaded with potential activity.
http://www.platetectonics.com/oceanfloors/japan.asp


I'm thinking...regular old earthquake activity in a region well known for earthquake activity.

That the Mayans didn't have the foresight to realize that a calendar should go on forever doesn't cause me any concern.

Nostradamus was an early sixteenth century French apothecary who wrote vague and tenuous quatrains in an obscure and obsolete version of the French language. They are so vague and tenuous as to make them useless for any test of genuine predictive abilities. While an endless series of cranks have mistranslated and misinterpreted the quatrains, the original works read like a typical horoscope casted by a typical astrologer. They are wordy enough to appear specific at first glance while actually being nothing more than wandering and pointless claptrap.

The Book of Revelation (note the lack of the plural) reads like an account of a very bad experience with hallucinogenics, likely ergot poisoning from contaminated rye grain.

Robert G. Ingersoll branded Revelation "the insanest of all books".[78] Thomas Jefferson omitted it, along with most of the Biblical canon, from the Jefferson Bible, and wrote that at one time he considered it as "merely the ravings of a maniac, no more worthy nor capable of explanation than the incoherences of our own nightly dreams."[79] George Bernard Shaw described it as "a peculiar record of the visions of a drug addict".[80]

Martin Luther changed his perspective on Revelation over time. In the preface to the German translation of Revelation that he composed in 1522, he said that he did not consider the book prophetic or apostolic, since "Christ is neither taught nor known in it." But in the completely new preface that he composed in 1530, he reversed his position and concluded that Christ was central to the book. He concluded, "As we see here in this book, that through and beyond all plagues, beasts, and evil angels, Christ is nonetheless with the saints and wins the final victory."[81] John Calvin "had grave doubts about its value."[82]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Book_of_Revelation

I'll admit to believing in "The end of days". It will happen in about five billion years when the sun has exhausted most of it's core hydrogen fuel and swells into a Red Giant. It will likely expand in size to encompass the Earth and possibly even Mars. Personally, I'm not worried about it.

Dante's inferno and Milton's Paradise Lost are considered literary masterpieces what kind of hallucinogens do you think these two were on? To not believe in Revelation (note my noting of your singular-my bad-) means you do not believe in any of the Bible this is the Christian holy book you cannot pick and choose what you believe to be sooth and what is heresy or delusion-although the Catholics have made a good living changing the bible to suit their needs over the years- You have to take the good with the bad. If you want to believe in salvation through Christ and all the other things the bible speaks of then you need to be prepared to believe that it's all coming to an end. Besides I didn't say I necessarily believed it it's just what comes to mind with the state the world is in right now. I'm sure during Hitlers reign he was pegged as the Antichrist and people thought the end was near.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

Whats next? STELLA impersonating Corporal Max Klinger in a Red Cross uniform.

 

[voluptuary_manque]

Dante's inferno and Milton's Paradise Lost are considered literary masterpieces what kind of hallucinogens do you think these two were on? To not believe in Revelation (note my noting of your singular-my bad-) means you do not believe in any of the Bible this is the Christian holy book you cannot pick and choose what you believe to be sooth and what is heresy or delusion-although the Catholics have made a good living changing the bible to suit their needs over the years- You have to take the good with the bad. If you want to believe in salvation through Christ and all the other things the bible speaks of then you need to be prepared to believe that it's all coming to an end. Besides I didn't say I necessarily believed it it's just what comes to mind with the state the world is in right now. I'm sure during Hitlers reign he was pegged as the Antichrist and people thought the end was near.

Like I said, 'inerrant twaddle'. And what of the other twenty-three Gospels? Are you going to believe them too or did the Bishop of Nice have a direct pipeline to God when he chose them? Be very, very careful when attributing such ideas. They reek of heresy.

 

[lovecraft68]

Like I said, 'inerrant twaddle'. And what of the other twenty-three Gospels? Are you going to believe them too or did the Bishop of Nice have a direct pipeline to God when he chose them? Be very, very careful when attributing such ideas. They reek of heresy.

Then it's all heresy. The King James bible was put together by man. So who knows what was left out. I'm sure the Vatican basement is full of "gospels" that they didn't approve of. As far as "twaddle" well honestly to me the entire bible is Twaddle all I'm saying is that you either have to drink all the kool aid or get the hell out of the line. If you have faith in some of it you should have faith in all of it. I don;t think one can have selective faith. Every myth cycle (which I believe Christianity is) has a beginning and an Armageddon The Bible has genesis and revelation. Didn't God say he was the Alpha and the Omega? The Beginning and the end? Gotta take the bad with the good is my point. If John was eating shrooms when he wrote revelation then so was Ezekiel and Isiah and the rest of the Prophets problem is there is no "profit" for the "prophets" if they preach doomsday it has to be all's well that ends well. This is the same school of thought that has lead to some of the churches preaching there is no devil. Anyway I'm not here to debate religion it's an endless loop people have their beliefs and nothing will change them so it's a waste of energy to debate and argue we'll all find out in the end. Whole point of my comment was that it seems like doomsday out there for a variety of reasons. maybe it would have been easier to blame Godzilla or perhaps I could go old testament and call him Leviathan

 

[SeaCat]

Whew,

I finally heard from a friend of mine in Shinjuku, (part of Tokyo.) She's okay but can't go home because of the trains not running.

She hasn't heard from her family but thinks they are okay because they live quite a ways from where the Quakes hit and are a long ways inland.

Cat

 

[3113]

I finally heard from a friend of mine in Shinjuku, (part of Tokyo.) She's okay but can't go home because of the trains not running.

Please send her our best!