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9.0 Earthquake strikes Japan


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Keep in mind that another way to get major tsunamis is from volcanic activity, in which large masses of land are ejected into the sea, displacing equally large volumes of water, much like dropping a rock in a pond. In fact, the largest tsunamis ever recorded were from the Krakatoa volcano in Indonesia in 1884 - tsunamis over 100 feet high were produced.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Krakatoa

Some think "megatsunamis" hundreds of feet high could occur from landslides produced by either volcanoes or earthquakes. While none have ever been recorded in the Atlantic Basin, some experts think the Canary Islands sliding into the Atlantic could produce a megatsunami throughout the Atlantic, including our East Coast - many experts disagree with this scenario, however.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Megatsunami

One more thing: haven't read through the thread, but if you haven't seen these before and after satellite photos of a number of Japanese towns, take a look at the link. Simply chilling.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/events/japan-quake-2011/beforeafter.htm

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Back to Honshu-- and sorry for making it about CA, but obviously the topic is interesting to me from a IMBY perspective: how high did these tsunamis get? Has anyone heard any official estimates?

You need a bunch of tsunami scientists running around measuring the high water marks (like investigating a tornado) so there won't be a definitive estimate for weeks. They went over and destroyed the tide guages.

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I read somewhere once that there's a pretty potent but relatively inactive fault line somewhere in the OV region...if something big were to happen there, we'd have big, big problems. Cities in that area don't exactly have the best earthquake resistant buildings.

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Haven't seen any official determination on tsunami height, but it may have very well been over 30 feet in areas where bays would have funneled the water. In Minamisanriku (where the 9,500 people are reported missing) they are in such a bay and it was clear from video the water went over the top of 3 story building and it was reported water went into the 4th floor of a five story building.

People at this location didnt have much chance, even with mobility, from maps only a couple 2 lane roads leading out not along the water, both along rivers (not good not gaining enough elevation). You are not going to get 17,000 people out on 2 roads within 15 minutes. A report on NBC originally from UK Channel 4 said that the roads here got clogged quickly with people who did try to escape via car. Suggestion of many fatalities in automobiles in Sendai also where a reporter noted the rescue workers said to be wary of filming automoblile wreckage for that reason. In the initial videos it was clear there was many people trying to flee who were just not going to get out of the way in time.

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One good thing about the Pacific Northwest is that there's a lot less population on the immediate coast than Northeast Japan - though it rises a lot in summer. Portland is a good distance inland, for example.

I've never really seen a paper on how an M9 Cascadia subduction tsunami would propagate into Puget Sound or to Vancouver Canada,, though; it would lose a lot of energy bending around, I would think.

However, there's a threat of large local tsunamis from faults right under Seattle and Puget Sound.

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I agree with famartin that 100,000 deaths will be easily attainable. Just look at the cities wiped out. Absolutely devastating. I have a feeling that persons not caught trying to flee in cars would have moved up to the high points of there residences. Unfortunately that would not have saved them anymore than moving into the center of your house when an EF5 tornado was about to clean your house to a slab, would save you. Just do a google search of the populations of some of those towns and cities directly affected by the tsunami. Then take 10-20 % off for folks who got to high ground or outran the water. What does that leave you with?? Not good. Not good at all. Like in Indonesia the true death toll may never fully be known as many bodies will never be found. The folks just disappeared period. Very disturbing to say the least. God bless the ones who made it and are trying to survive.

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I agree with famartin that 100,000 deaths will be easily attainable. Just look at the cities wiped out. Absolutely devastating. I have a feeling that persons not caught trying to flee in cars would have moved up to the high points of there residences. Unfortunately that would not have saved them anymore than moving into the center of your house when an EF5 tornado was about to clean your house to a slab, would save you. Just do a google search of the populations of some of those towns and cities directly affected by the tsunami. Then take 10-20 % off for folks who got to high ground or outran the water. What does that leave you with?? Not good. Not good at all. Like in Indonesia the true death toll may never fully be known as many bodies will never be found. The folks just disappeared period. Very disturbing to say the least. God bless the ones who made it and are trying to survive.

On the other hand, Soledad O'Brien on CNN (north of Sendai, I think) says she doesn't smell bodies they way she did after the Sumatran tsunami. However, it's been much colder in Japan than it was for that Tsunami.

I think it will be 20,000-30,000 or so.

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CNN right now has a bunch of new videos (also great reporting, coverage of the nuclear plants without hype, etc.)

One of them has the tsunami arriving while it's SNOWING (must have been Hokkaido or extreme northern Honshu). Something about that just looks weird.

(Not that a tsunami without snow falling looks normal - just that the snow is extra-weird.)

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I agree with famartin that 100,000 deaths will be easily attainable. Just look at the cities wiped out. Absolutely devastating. I have a feeling that persons not caught trying to flee in cars would have moved up to the high points of there residences. Unfortunately that would not have saved them anymore than moving into the center of your house when an EF5 tornado was about to clean your house to a slab, would save you. Just do a google search of the populations of some of those towns and cities directly affected by the tsunami. Then take 10-20 % off for folks who got to high ground or outran the water. What does that leave you with?? Not good. Not good at all. Like in Indonesia the true death toll may never fully be known as many bodies will never be found. The folks just disappeared period. Very disturbing to say the least. God bless the ones who made it and are trying to survive.

Sadly the dying is no where near over. Too cold and areas remain where no one can reach. I agree we will never know the exact count although Japan is meticulous about records so a vast majority of the missing will be listed.

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On the other hand, Soledad O'Brien on CNN (north of Sendai, I think) says she doesn't smell bodies they way she did after the Sumatran tsunami. However, it's been much colder in Japan than it was for that Tsunami. <br />

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I think it will be 20,000-30,000 or so.<br />

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She may also not be in the hardest hit areas either. Your right though. The weather maybe masking the smell of death as it's not in the 80's and 90's like in Indonesia. That will slow down the rate of decomp.

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