8.8 Earthquake hits Japan

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P4man

Senior member
Aug 27, 2010
254
0
0
Briefly had my brother on skype, he is in Tokyo, he's fine, though a bit shaken literally and figuratively. He cant see any major damage where he is. He described the event as if he was in a high speed train that derailed.
My hat is off to the Japanese building engineers.
 

BoomerD

No Lifer
Feb 26, 2006
63,354
11,729
136
Wow. First wave was 24' high.

Revised now to 33'.

I'd been hearing 10 meter waves. That's an awesome amount of power. Some of the video footage is impressive. The waves are carrying cars, trucks, houses, and boats, along with other debris.
 

ViRGE

Elite Member, Moderator Emeritus
Oct 9, 1999
31,516
167
106
A tsunami warning has been issued for the continental US. I'd tell you more, but I can't get the related document to come up.
 

Yzzim

Lifer
Feb 13, 2000
11,990
1
76
A tsunami warning has been issued for the continental US. I'd tell you more, but I can't get the related document to come up.

Are they talking the same size waves (30 feet+) as those that hit Japan? If so, the west coast is screwed?
 

Omegachi

Diamond Member
Mar 27, 2001
3,922
0
76
Im in hawaii, I guess we will be receiving the "baton" pretty soon... People are going nuts here.
 

P4man

Senior member
Aug 27, 2010
254
0
0
uh.... no

that doesnt even make sense..
what's a 1.1 -> 1.2? x10 too? wouldnt a 1.0 to 2.0 be 10^10 then? >.>

The richter scale number they report, like 8.9 or whatever it is, is an exponent of 10. A 8.9 earth quake means the measured amplitude of maximum ground motion is 10 ^ 8.9 (micron).

So a full point increase in richter scale means a 10x fold increase in amplitude, but amplitude doesnt relate to released energy directly.

Im not sure what the relationship is, but I wouldnt be surprised if that was exponential by itself, so a full Richter point increase could indeed mean a (edit) 10^2 increase in released energy but perhaps someone who knows could enlighten us.

edit: Here is the graph from wiki:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3f/RichterFreqEnergyGraph-en.svg
 
Last edited:

BoomerD

No Lifer
Feb 26, 2006
63,354
11,729
136
A tsunami warning has been issued for the continental US. I'd tell you more, but I can't get the related document to come up.

I saw the same thing. I imagine they're getting hammered pretty hard.

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

"To: U.S. West Coast, Alaska, and British Columbia coastal regions
From: NOAA/NWS/West Coast and Alaska Tsunami Warning Center
Subject: Tsunami Watch and Advisory #3 issued 03/10/2011 at 11:33PM PST

UPDATED MAGNITUDE TO 8.8

The Tsunami Advisory continues in effect for the coastal areas of Alaska from Chignik Bay, Alaska to Attu, Alaska.

The Tsunami Watch continues in effect for the coastal areas of California, Oregon, Washington, British Columbia and Alaska from the California-Mexico border to Chignik Bay, Alaska.

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.

A Tsunami Watch means that all coastal residents in the watch area should prepare for possible evacuation. A tsunami watch is issued to areas which will not be immediately impacted by the tsunami. Watch areas will either be upgraded to warning or advisory status, or canceled.

At 9:46 PM Pacific Standard Time on March 10, an earthquake with preliminary magnitude 8.8 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. The waves are expected to first reach Shemya, Alaska at 12:13 AM AKST on March 11. Estimated tsunami arrival times and maps along with safety rules and other information can be found on the WCATWC web site.

Measurements of reports of tsunami activity:

TSUNAMI OBSERVED ON DEEP OCEAN BUOY
UPGRADED MAGNITUDE TO 8.8


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 30 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."
 

Away

Diamond Member
May 1, 2005
4,431
1
71
Energy release:

The energy release of an earthquake, which closely correlates to its destructive power, scales with the 3⁄2 power of the shaking amplitude.
 
Last edited:

Taejin

Moderator<br>Love & Relationships
Aug 29, 2004
3,271
0
0
The richter scale number they report, like 8.9 or whatever it is, is an exponent of 10. A 8.9 earth quake means the measured amplitude of maximum ground motion is 10 ^ 8.9 (micron).

So a full point increase in richter scale means a 10x fold increase in amplitude, but amplitude doesnt relate to released energy directly.

Im not sure what the relationship is, but I wouldnt be surprised if that was exponential by itself, so a full Richter point increase could indeed mean a (edit) 10^2 increase in released energy but perhaps someone who knows could enlighten us.

edit: Here is the graph from wiki:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3f/RichterFreqEnergyGraph-en.svg

yeah, i was aware of the specifics concerning the richter scale.. Nik's post was just full of fail. Apparently you have to be a geologist to know how an exponential scale works . Thanks for the graph info though; someone else on the thread did mention that each point on the richter scale was a 32x increase in energy released... However, that doesn't quite jive with the graph you've linked to.
 
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