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Tag Archives: Japan
Japan, Taiwain, Hong Kong In Path Of Monster Tropical Cyclone
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Typhoon Lionrock Predicted To Hit Japan
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Typhoon Lionrock is expected to make landfall in Japan early in the week, according to reports. AccuWeather reported the storm will hit the coast of Japan as early as Monday night or Tuesday morning local time, and the heavy rainfall and intense winds could bring about three to six feet of storm surge. Lionrock’s interaction with… Continue reading Typhoon Lionrock Predicted To Hit Japan |
Japan’s Mount Aso Erupts, Tourists Evacuated
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Japan’s largest active volcano, Mount Aso, erupted Monday, prompting the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) to raise its five-scale volcanic alert level to three from two, warning people not to approach the area. The eruption shot plumes of smoke 2,000 meters (6,560 feet) into the air. Mount Aso, located on the southern Japanese island of Kyushu, erupted… Continue reading Japan’s Mount Aso Erupts, Tourists Evacuated |
Typhoon Goni Makes Landfall In Japan, Injures At Least 26
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Typhoon Goni made landfall in the southwestern Kumamoto prefecture on the Japanese island of Kyushu Tuesday. The typhoon damaged buildings and cars, and flooded streets before barreling toward the Sea of Japan. While no deaths were recorded, at least 26 people were injured, Japan’s fire and disaster management agency said, according to the Associated Press (AP).… Continue reading Typhoon Goni Makes Landfall In Japan, Injures At Least 26 |
Satellites capture images of Antarctica ice shelf breaking apart from Japanese tsunami
Nearly 8,000 miles away the power of the tsunami caused by the March 11, 2011 Tohoku earthquake was felt in a resounding fashion. New satellite imagery released by NASA shows 50 square miles of ice from the Sulzberger Ice Shelf on the coast of Antarctica being broken off due to the waves.
Scientists have speculated that a tsunami could cause flexing of ice and result in pieces breaking off. The quake and resultant tsunami in Japan have now proven that theory.
NASA researchers utilized imagery from the European Space Agency’s Envisat satellite. The before and after pictures clearly show numerous icebergs having been calved from the shelf.
- In pictures: View before and after imagery of the Sulzberger Ice Shelf (Examiner.com)
- Watch: NASA video explains how the tsunami affected the ice in Antarctica (Examiner.com)
18 hours after the quake, the tsunami reached Antarctica. Imagery taken just prior to the waves reaching the Sulzberger Ice Shelf show it complete intact. Five days later, imagery shows massive icebergs floating away from the shelf.
The tsunami is estimated to have been only one foot high when it reached the Earth’s southernmost continent. However the stress was enough to break apart the 260 foot thick shelf and calve an area of ice equal to the size of Manhattan Island in New York.
Douglas MacAyeal of the University of Chicago and one of the researchers who made the discovery said the event shows how connected the planet’s systems are.
“This is an example not only of the way in which events are connected across great ranges of oceanic distance, but also how events in one kind of Earth system, i.e., the plate tectonic system, can connect with another kind of seemingly unrelated event: the calving of icebergs from Antarctica’s ice sheet,” MacAyeal said in a statement.
Satellite imagery from governments and private industry has been useful to scientists and the public in analyzing the disaster. NASA has trained its eyes in the sky on the disaster struck region and Google has released stunning imagery from its partners.
This story was originally posted on Examiner.com for the Natural Disasters Examiner. Be sure to check there for the latest natural disasters news.
New images show Japanese nuclear plant as it was struck by tsunami
Japan is continuing to recover from the devastating magnitude 9.0 earthquake and the resultant tsunami that struck the nation in March. This past week Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) released new images of its Fukushima power plant as the massive waves struck the facility.
- Slideshow: Images of the Fukushima power plant being stricken by the tsunami (Examiner.com)
Damage at the power plant was extensive and in seeing the new photos one can understand why the nuclear facility was unable to withstand the blow. Waves are seen in the photos sweeping over a sea wall and soon enveloping the interior of the plant.
Waves of more than 30 feet resulted from the earthquake, the fourth largest since 1900, and were responsible for extensive damage and a staggering death toll. More than 91,000 structures were totally destroyed by the waves that swept away entire towns.
According to the National Police Agency, 15,129 lives were claimed. The toll however is expected to continue to climb as another 9,034 people are reported missing. As it stands now the quake ranks as Japan’s fifth deadliest in history but will likely hit the number four spot when the final death toll is calculated.
Related: Extensive damage from within Japan’s stricken nuclear power plant (Examiner.com)
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Disaster in Japan worsens: Aftershocks continue, U.S. military evacuates families
The situation brought on by last week’s earthquake and tsunami continues to worsen in Japan. Aftershocks continue at an astounding rate, the humanitarian disaster is growing and the threat of a nuclear disaster has prompted the United States to begin evacuations of military families.
As reported by the Natural Disasters Examiner, the Department of Defense announced this morning that the State Department was planning voluntary evacuations of military families and the families of government employees from Japan. The U.S. will also work to evacuate civilians that live within a 50 mile radius of the Fukushima nuclear power plant.
The power facility sustained significant damage in the earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan last Friday. Critical cooling systems at the plant continue to fail, and Tokyo Electric Power Company, the operator of the plant, has struggled to regain control of the reactors.
Col. Otto Feather, 374th Airlift Wing commander at Yokota Air Base, told his command in a radio address, “I know there are a lot of people trying to figure out how to get out of here, and I’m not surprised that there are people that want to get on the road.”
The international community has joined with Japan’s own resources in aiding with the recovery. More than 100,000 Japanese Self-Defense Force personnel have been deployed, and tens of thousands of agencies from across the globe, including the United States military, are on scene or rushing to provide assistance. The U.S. Navy had aircrews contaminated with radiation and has since repositioned its ships in the area.
The disasters have led to an unfolding humanitarian crisis as more than one million are without power and supplies such as food and water are becoming scarce. The catastrophe the nation faces has been called the worst crisis for Japan since World War II.
On Tuesday, March 9th, a sizeable magnitude 7.2 quake struck off the east coast of Japan. It triggered a small tsunami and was considered a minor event. Several smaller quakes followed but they were only the opening act.
On Friday, March 11th the earth let loose with what was the fourth largest earthquake to strike the globe since 1900. The massive 9.0 temblor shook the Japanese island of Honshu and triggered a tsunami 23 feet high that struck the coastline. The waves traveled across the Pacific causing damage as far away as California.
Since that time, earthquakes continue to roil under the ocean and on the Japanese mainland. The US Geological Survey (USGS) has recorded more than 500 earthquakes over magnitude 4.0 in the past seven days in the area. Several of these were substantial quakes of magnitude 6.0 or higher.
An animation, seen below, show the tremendous level of activity has been released and is absolutely astounding to watch. Two foreshocks are seen before the massive quake on Friday and then the swarm of aftershocks begins with startling frequency and intensity.
More stories from the Natural Disasters Examiner:
- Japan continues to shake: Animation shows more than 500 quakes in seven days
- US military begins evacuations of families from Japan due to nuclear threat
- New video shows recent eruption of Japan’s Smimnoedake volcano
- Japan earthquake upgraded to magnitude 9.0; now fourth largest since 1900
- Google releases stunning before and after satellite imagery of Japan
- Backgrounder: Japan’s history of deadly earthquakes and tsunamis
We are providing complete coverage of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan on the Natural Disasters Examiner on Examiner.com.
Remember that by visiting our Examiner.com stories, you are helping to support ThorntonWeather.com.
Japan devastated by earthquake and tsunami; Untold thousands missing or dead
The massive magnitude earthquake that struck Japan on Friday has brought incredible devastation to the nation. The death toll continues to climb and there are reports of thousands of people missing even as a nuclear power plant threatens to release dangerous radiation.
Commercial buildings and homes were reduced to rubble in the magnitude 8.9 earthquake – the fifth largest seen globally since 1900. Along the cost of Japan’s main island of Honshu, a monstrous tsunami 23 feet high pushed ashore wiping away everything in its path. The devastation was so massive it was easily spotted by NASA satellites.
The death toll has now climbed over 600 people with at least 1,000 missing. The Kyodo News Service is reporting that according to city officials, 9,500 people in the town of Minamisanriku in Miyagi Prefecture are missing. The town normally has a population of 17,000.
An explosion at a damaged nuclear power facility increased concerns that a deadly radiation leak may be imminent. The blast at Tokyo Electric Power Co.’s Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant sent smoke billowing into the air and is reported to have injured four workers.
Government officials insist no dangerous levels of radiation have been released. Nevertheless, they have increased the evacuation radius around the damaged plant from 6 miles (10 km) to 12 miles (20km). A 6 mile (10 km) evacuation zone around the Fukushima No. 2 plant to the south remains in place. As many as 300,000 will be evacuated due to the danger.
With the concern of a nuclear disaster possibly being in the offing, rescuers continued to comb through the rubble in search of possible survivors. Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan said more than 3,000 people had been rescued but an untold number likely remain buried.
International aid began streaming into the nation including search and rescue teams and supplies from dozens of nations.
The U.S. military in Japan leapt into action and immediately began delivering relief supplies to stricken areas. The Marine Corps and the Navy will have extensive resources in the area, particularly once the USS Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier and its strike group arrives tomorrow.
Aftershocks continue to rumble in the ocean near the epicenter of yesterday’s quake. More than 100 significant temblors have occurred, some onshore on the island of Honshu.
More stories from the Natural Disasters Examiner:
- NASA satellites capture images of earthquake and tsunami devastation in Japan
- Significant aftershocks continue in wake of main Japan earthquake, tsunami
- NOAA images and video show Japan tsunami’s far reach
- Japan earthquake and tsunami: Resources for news, information and assistance
- By the numbers: Japan temblor ranks as fifth largest earthquake since 1900
- Magnitude 8.9 earthquake strikes near Japan, spawns massive tsunami
We are providing complete coverage of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan on the Natural Disasters Examiner on Examiner.com.
Remember that by visiting our Examiner.com stories, you are helping to support ThorntonWeather.com.
Japanese volcano made famous in James Bond movie erupts
This week a significant eruption of Mount Shimnoe on the island of Kyushu in Japan sent ash billowing 15,000 feet into the atmosphere. The mountain, part of a complex of 20 volcanoes, will be familiar to fans of James Bond movies.
Shimnoe-dake (Shimnoe Peak) began to erupt on Wednesday prompting some flight cancelations from area airports and covering nearby cities in a coating of ash. The Japanese government raised the alert level for the volcano and banned entry to an area in a one mile radius around the peak.
According to the Global Volcanism Program, Shinmoe is part of a group of 20 volcanoes north of Kagoshima Bay called Kirishima. Eruptions in the area have occurred four times in the past 40 years however this recent is the largest in more than 50 years. The most recent significant even occurred on February 13, 1959 with others since 1900 occurring in 1946, 1923, 1913 and 1903.
James Bond fans may recall the volcano from “You Only Live Twice.” In the 1967 movie the villain, Ernst Blofeld, maintains a secret lair underneath the mountain.
Activity at the volcano is gradually subsiding and no injuries have been reported. Photos and video of the event nevertheless show that it was a significant eruption. The ballooning ash cloud was large enough to be captured in images taken by NASA satellites.
Among the most impressive images are ones that have captured volcanic lightning, a phenomena which is not entirely understood. You can learn more about it in this story on the Natural Disasters Examiner.
The video below captures the eruption – be sure to take note of the impressive flashes of pyroclastic lightning.