Japan placed its eastern coastline on a tsunami alert after the recent magnitude 8.8 earthquake in Chile. Their Meteorological Agency warned that waves up to 10 feet high could hit the shoreline. Hundreds of thousands of people evacuated low areas near the coast. Fortunately the waves were much smaller than anticipated.
NOAA’s Pacific Tsunami Warning Center has a SEVERE widespread warning, watch and advisory in effect in response to the 8.8M Chile earthquake. Visit their website for specific information for various areas.
Sakurajima volcano in southern Japan erupted more than 400 times during 2009, and activity is increasing in early 2010. Gray ash is visible in the plume that extends northeast (towards the lower-right) of the volcano. Ashfall is a regular occurence at the daikon and mandarin farms surrounding the volcano, as well as the nearby cities of Kagoshima and Kirishima. NASA Earth Observatory image by Robert Simmon. Caption by Robert Simmon. Quoted from the Earth Observatory image release.
The PhotoVolcanica website has an interesting page that presents photos, maps and images of Sakurajima Volcano and its potential impact on surrounding communities – over 400 eruptions were reported in 2009.
The Mainichi Daily News has a photograph showing ash and steam emerging from the ocean’s surface above the vent of Fukutokuoka no Ba Volcano which erupted yesterday near Iwo Jima.
“An earthquake early warning system for California is feasible in coming years…. Earthquake early warning systems, already successfully deployed in Mexico, Japan and Taiwan, can detect an earthquake in progress and provide notice of seconds to tens of seconds prior to actual ground shaking.” Quoted from the USGS press release.
Ralph Harrington has a series of posts at The Volcanism Blog that feature “volcano art”. So far he has art for Mount Asama (Japan), Vesuvius (Italy), Mayon (Philippines), and others. He also has a collection of “volcanoes on matchboxes”.
A 6.4 magnitude earthquake occurred off the south coast of Honshu. The USGS “Did you feel it?” map is getting reports up to VI and VII intensity. USGS shake map and population exposure estimates are below.
A 7.1 magnitude earthquake beneath the Pacific Ocean off the southeastern coast of Japan has shaken the highly populated areas of Honshu. It occurred on Sunday, August 9 at 7:55 PM local time. The USGS “Did you feel it?” map has many reports of IV intensity near Tokyo, Nagoya and Osaka. A damaging tsunami was not generated and early news reports do not indicate widespread injuries or significant damage.
Swarms of giant Nomura’s jellyfish are being carried by ocean currents into the Sea of Japan. The Nomura’s jellyfish can be 6 feet in diameter and weigh 450 pounds.
An earthquake simulator has been built in Japan to test the structural integrity of a model building. The model is a life-size, seven story wooden condo on a huge shake table. The event will be broadcast live on the web the morning of Tuesday, July 14.
The early inhabitants of the Kuril Islands used tools made with obsidian from Russia and Japan. Obsidian flakes found on the islands yield evidence as to the people’s migration patterns.
This article explains the plate tectonics and history of the Nankai Trough region off the coast of Japan. The area produces a large earthquake roughly once a century.
Popular Mechanics has a story on their website titled “The Worlds Biggest Water Supply Projects”. It features: Ashkelon Desalination Plant, Israel; North-South Water Transfer Project, China; G-Cans Tunnel System, Tokyo, Japan; Marina Reservoir, Singapore; Groundwater Replenishment System, Orange County, California.
Sea ice formed delicate swirls of blue and white in the Sea of Okhotsk off the northern coast of Japan’s Hokkaido Island on February 11, 2009. In this false-color image by NASA, water is dark blue, sea ice and snow are pale blue or white, and vegetation is red.
Dave Petley has a video of a landslide in Japan that hits a car as it crosses a two-land rural road. He also has links to landslide videos that are much more spectacular…. such as this one.
An article in Popular Mechanics Online features the world’s five largest water supply projects. Included are projects in Israel, China, Japan, Singapore and California.
The Japanese Space Agency has launched a new satellite to monitor greenhouse gases worldwide. The Greenhouse gases Observation SATellite (GOSAT) was successfully placed into orbit and is now gathering data. A .pdf pamphlet provides a nice overview.
Tremendous numbers of stinging jellyfish are swarming at many important fisheries and tourist destinations. Swarms have been reported at Hawaii, the Gulf of Mexico, U.S. east coast, Bering Sea, Mediterranean Sea, Australia, Black Sea, Sea of Japan, North Sea and Namibia.
There has been a long running disagreement over the jurisdiction of Dokdo Islands (also known as Liancourt Rocks) in the Sea of Japan. South Korea and Japan both claim ownership. A recent change to the USGS Board of Geographic Names database described them as “undesignated sovereignty”. South Korea demanded an immediate change. Control of the islands includes economic claim to the seafloor around them.
A strong earthquake occurred off of the east coast of the Japanese island of Honshu. Nearby cities: Iwaki (125 km / 75 miles) , Sendai (130 km / 80 miles), Fukushima (145 km / 90 miles), and Tokyo (300 km / 190 miles).
Two people were killed and about 100 injured in an earthquake in northern Japan. Damage was lower than it might have been because it struck in a rural area.
A large earthquake occurred off the east coast of Honshu, Japan. USGS reports a preliminary magnitude of 6.8 and their shakemap estimates intensity VII effects in areas of the coastline near the epicenter. It occurred at 1:45 local time and was preceded by smaller earthquakes.
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Hobart King
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