Mal

Everyone should watch this, beginning to end without skipping through it. It's ridiculous how slow it build ups, you hardly even notice. It's only 6 minutes long, and if you can't watch that then I worry for you.

AniMeFaN

video is absolutely insane

ACt

Oh, wow. I'm just sitting here admiring the cameraman's nerves and steady hands. I was chanting, "get up the stairs, get up the stairs!"

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It's amazing to me that, unlike in the real world, people on the internet will wear "everyone thinks I'm a moron" as a badge of honour.

AniMeFaN

haha, i was hoping it was just clever camera work with the zoom in, guy could have been swept away if not, daring guy.

manta

Link please? I can't find it on CNN or BBC...

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ACt

Here. It was a pretty big one, but far from the earthquake in a volcano that has been rather active (in geological terms). No connection is thought other than the Ring of Fire.

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It's amazing to me that, unlike in the real world, people on the internet will wear "everyone thinks I'm a moron" as a badge of honour.

Kina

I've been trying to find the answer to this on my own, but I've found nothing but YahooAnswers! bullshit. What will happen if the nuclear reactor leaks? Or melts down? It that the same thing? I'm ignorant about this sort of thing.

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ACt

Wikipedia can be your friend for this one.

But here's my base understanding: Nuclear Reactors produce energy through the fission of uranium (usually), which produces a lot of heat energy, radiation and radioactive byproducts. The heat is commonly used to boil water, which turns turbines, which generates power that is pumped to the consuming masses. However, it is so much heat, that if the core is not continually cooled, the whole system will over heat and melt - i.e. a nuclear meltdown. If this is isolated to the reactor core, it'll just wreck it and become a massive lump of radioactive waste. But if it occurs with structural damage, the radiation can escape, irradiating the power plant. Additionally, the heat would create a steam cloud which would carry radioactive material across the land and if things get really bad, as in Chernobyl, radiactive liquids (some molten metals) could seep into the water supply and cause major problems there.

Currently, the Japanese haven't released any information on the structural integrity of the building, noting that the fire/destruction was just of exterior housing structures than to the core, and their efforts of pumping seawater onto the core is to stop a meltdown and save the core so it can be used again. If the internal structure is still solid there is a chance that the worse to happen will be just a burnout of the core with little radiation escape or spread.

Anyone with stronger physics in the crowd? How'd I do?

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Kina

What happens if the radiation does escape? What does it mean for the rest of the world?

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kael03

It depends entirely on the weather at that point as to where the fallout will reach. But when Chernobyl melted down, the fallout was detected over almost all of Europe, at least.

ACt

The gamma radiation itself will only have a local effect. The real danger is the radioactive waste and particulate that can be carried in dust or liquid that will continue to produce radiation.

EDIT: Which reminds me, anyone ever see the short documentary "Aftermath: Population Zero." by National Geographic? It is a neat little piece about what would happen to the world if all the humans were wiped out, focusing on long term consequences of our actions. Very interesting when in the first week all safety measures on nuclear power plants fail and they "explode".

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kael03

I haven't seen that one, just the "Life after People" documentary. It's essentially the same thing. Just shows what might happen if humans were to suddenly vanish.

kluang

First some debris and a van or two. Then as the tsunami gain power, the cars that park got pushes aside, then houses start to crumble and got push by the wave.

That is some serious power to push houses like that

I watches some of the episodes too. Cat rules the high places

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Mal

Quote:

Originally Posted by kael03 It depends entirely on the weather at that point as to where the fallout will reach. But when Chernobyl melted down, the fallout was detected over almost all of Europe, at least.

Fallout from Chernobyl was nearly world-wide (in the Northern Hemisphere), as seen in this image I have already posted once in this thread:

Quote:

Originally Posted by kael03 I haven't seen that one, just the "Life after People" documentary. It's essentially the same thing. Just shows what might happen if humans were to suddenly vanish.

That's the one I saw. I imagine the NatGeo one would be better.

kael03

Which is why I put "at least". I couldn't remember where I saw that map and I didn't want to make an ass of myself without proper evidence.