The fear at the Fukushima complex, 240 km (150 miles) north of Tokyo, is of a major radiation leak after the quake and tsunami knocked out cooling systems. The complex has seen explosions at two of its reactors on Saturday and Monday.The worst nuclear accident since the Chernobyl disaster in Ukraine in 1986 has drawn criticism that authorities were ill-prepared and revived debate in many countries about the safety of atomic power. Switzerland put on hold some approvals for nuclear power plants and Germany said it was scrapping a plan to extend the life of its nuclear power stations. The White House said U.S. President Barack Obama remained committed to nuclear energy.Yukiya Amano, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, said the reactor vessels of nuclear power plants affected by the disaster remained intact.- freewallpapermania.blogspot.com
Japanese People Aid Help Donations & Victims of Tsunami & missing Tsunami Peoples who are suffers injured in destruction by mega earthquake flood Tsunamis in Tokyo Japan in 2011 rebuilding rehabilitaion centers
Tsunami is a series of ocean waves that sends surges of water, sometimes reaching heights of over 100 feet (30.5 meters), onto land. These walls of water can cause widespread destruction when they crash ashore.
These awe-inspiring waves are typically caused by large, undersea earthquakes at tectonic plate boundaries. When the ocean floor at a plate boundary rises or falls suddenly it displaces the water above it and launches the rolling waves that will become a tsunami.- freewallpapermania.blogspot.com
Most tsunamis, about 80 percent, happen within the Pacific Ocean’s “Ring of Fire,” a geologically active area where tectonic shifts make volcanoes and earthquakes common.
Tsunamis may also be caused by underwater landslides or volcanic eruptions. They may even be launched, as they frequently were in Earth’s ancient past, by the impact of a large meteorite plunging into an ocean.
Tsunamis race across the sea at up to 500 miles (805 kilometers) an hour—about as fast as a jet airplane. At that pace they can cross the entire expanse of the Pacific Ocean in less than a day. And their long wavelengths mean they lose very little energy along the way.- freewallpapermania.blogspot.com
A fresh explosion rocked a damaged Japanese nuclear power plant on Tuesday where engineers have been pumping sea water into a reactor to prevent a catastrophic meltdown in the wake of a devastating earthquake and tsunami.
Japan's nuclear safety agency said Tuesday's explosion at the plant's No.2 reactor was caused by hydrogen. There was no immediate word on damage, but Jiji news agency quoted the trade ministry as saying radiation levels remained low after the blast, the third at the plant since Saturday.Japan has asked the United States for more equipment to help cool reactors at the Fukushima nuclear complex, which was hit on Monday by a dangerous drop in cooling water levels that exposed fuel rods in the No. 2 reactor.The full extent of the destruction wreaked by Friday's massive quake and tsunami that followed it was still becoming clear, as rescuers combed through the region north of Tokyo where officials say at least 10,000 people were killed."It's a scene from hell, absolutely nightmarish," said Patrick Fuller of the International Red Cross Federation from the northeastern coastal town of Otsuchi.- freewallpapermania.blogspot.com
Prime Minister Naoto Kan said Japan was facing its worst crisis since World War Two and, with the financial costs estimated at up to $180 billion, analysts said it could tip the world's third biggest economy back into recession.
The U.S. Geological Survey upgraded the quake to magnitude 9.0, from 8.9, making it the world's fourth most powerful since 1900.
Car makers, shipbuilders and technology companies worldwide scrambled for supplies after the disaster shut factories in Japan and disrupted the global manufacturing chain.
Japanese stocks were expected to fall further on Tuesday, after Nikkei futures traded in Chicago fell 6.15 percent to be 70 points below the Osaka close.
Tokyo's TOPIX index closed down more than 7.5 percent on Monday, wiping $287 billion off market capitalization in the biggest fall since the height of the global financial crisis in 2008. Insurers' shares fell for a second day in London and New York, as world stocks slid to a six-week low.- freewallpapermania.blogspot.com
In deep ocean, tsunami waves may appear only a foot or so high. But as they approach shoreline and enter shallower water they slow down and begin to grow in energy and height. The tops of the waves move faster than their bottoms do, which causes them to rise precipitously.
A tsunami’s trough, the low point beneath the wave’s crest, often reaches shore first. When it does, it produces a vacuum effect that sucks coastal water seaward and exposes harbor and sea floors. This retreating of sea water is an important warning sign of a tsunami, because the wave’s crest and its enormous volume of water typically hit shore five minutes or so later. Recognizing this phenomenon can save lives.- freewallpapermania.blogspot.com
A tsunami is usually composed of a series of waves, called a wave train, so its destructive force may be compounded as successive waves reach shore. People experiencing a tsunami should remember that the danger may not have passed with the first wave and should await official word that it is safe to return to vulnerable locations.
Some tsunamis do not appear on shore as massive breaking waves but instead resemble a quickly surging tide that inundates coastal areas.
The best defense against any tsunami is early warning that allows people to seek higher ground. The Pacific Tsunami Warning System, a coalition of 26 nations headquartered in Hawaii, maintains a web of seismic equipment and water level gauges to identify tsunamis at sea. Similar systems are proposed to protect coastal areas worldwide.- freewallpapermania.blogspot.com
Rescue workers arrive in Minamisanriku town on March 14, 2011, days after the area was devastated by a magnitude 8.9 earthquake and tsunami.
People walk along a flooded street in Ishimaki City, Miyagi Prefecture in northern Japan, after an earthquake and tsunami struck the area
Workers carry bodies from a damaged home for the elderly after an earthquake and tsunami struck Kesennuma City, Miyagi Prefecture in northern Japan
A destroyed landscape is pictured in Onagawa, Miyagi Prefecture in northern Japan, after an earthquake and tsunami struck the area
A Japanese woman breaks down in tears after her relative died in a Japanese Red Cross hospital after being evacuated from the area hit by tsunami in Ishinomaki
A victim is brought into a hospital in Ishimaki City, Miyagi Prefecture in northern Japan, after an earthquake and tsunami struck the area
A woman looks at the damage caused by a tsunami and an earthquake in Ishimaki City, Miyagi Prefecture, after the magnitude 8.9 earthquake struck the area March
Rescue workers recover a victim's body from the rubble after a magnitude 8.9 earthquake and tsunami struck Rikuzentakata, northern Japan
Sixty-year-old survivor Hiromitsu Shinkawa (C) who was swept out to sea by a tsunami is rescued by crew members of Japan Maritime Self-Defence Force (JMSDF) Aegis vessell Choukai about 15km (9 miles)
A street is flooded after an earthquake and tsunami struck Ishimaki City, Miyagi Prefecture in northern Japan.- freewallpapermania.blogspot.com
Smoke rises from Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power complex in this still image from video footage March
Rescue workers search for victims in Tamura village, Iwate Prefecture in northern Japan, after an earthquake and tsunami struck the area
A family climbs over debris while evacuating from Minamisanriku town on March 14, 2011, days after the area was devastated by a magnitude 8.9 earthquake and tsunami.
Japanese rescue workers carry the body of a tsunami victim in the devastated town of Otsuchi
President of International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Tadateru Konoe (L) walks through rubble in residential area of tsunami hit Otsuchi
Japanese rescue workers stand with their tools among destroyed homes in residential area of Otsuchi
A man walks past debris through Minamisanriku town on March 14, 2011, days after the area was devastated by a magnitude 8.9 earthquake and tsunami.
An "SOS" signal is written on the sports field of a high school after the magnitude 8.9 earthquake and tsunami struck the town of Minamisanriku, Miyagi Prefecture in northern Japan.- freewallpapermania.blogspot.com
