One major way that Japan has started to prepare for the volcano is creating an evacuation plan. This evacuation plan goes through the prefectures of Shizuoka, Yamanashi, and Kanagawa. These prefectural governments have set to prepare for the possible eruption. The plan calls for 750,000 people to leave their homes due to lava and pyroclastic flows. 750,000 people is a big number and it makes me wonder where all these people will go. On top of this number another 470,000 will need to evacuate because of the volcanic ash in the air. Kanagawa is the prefecture most heavily affected, not only by lava flows but also by volcanic ash. Even more people are still affected by the volcanic ash. The evacuation plan states 8.85 million people live in areas where 2 cm or more of volcanic ash is expected to fall. This volcanic ash is going to affect people’s health. A major flaw I read within the evacuation plan is it doesn’t assume an eruption after a major earthquake. This could be a big issue going forward because many times in the past, earthquakes have caused volcanic eruptions. The evacuation plan shows good numbers and data on the people affected. But, in my opinion, they could still be clearer on when to expect the eruption and how it will further affect the people living in the region. After volcanoes erupt, significant amounts of dangerous and toxic gasses can enter the atmosphere such as sulfur dioxide and carbon dioxide. It is a good thing Japan has an evacuation plan and is ready to clear people of the area because the environment and personal health are going to be affected. These factors of health and pollution where affected in the 2011 during the Fukushima nuclear power plant incident. The Fukushima incident showed that natura... ... middle of paper ... ...Mount Fuji Eruption? The Watchers, Retrieved from http://thewatchers.adorraeli.com/2012/09/09/mount-fuji-under-pressure-last-eruption/ Koichi (2013, August 27) Mt. Fuji The Ticking Timebomb. Togugu.com, Retrieved from http://www.tofugu.com/2013/08/27/is-mt-fuji-ready-to-blow/ Klemetti, E. (2009, March 11) How Volcanoes Affect the Economy. Scienceblogs.com. retrieved from http://scienceblogs.com/eruptions/2009/03/11/how-volcanoes-affect-the-econo/ Evacuation plan prepared for mt. fuji eruption. (2014, Feb 06). Jiji Press English News Service. Retrieved from http://ezproxy.msu.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/1494797713?accountid=12598 Japan: Magma chamber of mt. fuji immensely pressured by quakes in 2011. (2012, Sep 08). Asia News Monitor. Retrieved from http://ezproxy.msu.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/1038354568?accountid=12598
... It would be the first of its kind in the United States, but Japan has about a dozen of them for the past 15 years. My family will be heading to the beach next week for Spring Break, I will most definitely find out where the evacuation site is for Manzanita, our house is directly across from the ocean so if a tsunami hits we would be in its direct path, and I don’t think the European sea grass covered sand dunes will hold off the wave that would be coming ashore. There are signs all over the city, and we have been going to Manzanita for over 15 years, our family has never talked about who to do, we don’t know where to go and we don’t have an emergency supply stored in case of any emergencies. I truly believe that the city has to educate their residents and run practices, like fire drills for schools.
Mount Tambora, located on the Island of Sumbawa, Indonesia is classified as a Stratovolcano. Also known as a composite volcano, Tambora is a tall conical volcano (cone like structure) where layers of the walls are built by hardened lava and volcanic ash. The term composite is used to describe the volcano due to the composite layered structure built from sequential outpourings of eruptive materials1. Among the most common types of volcanoes, Tambora also shares its destructive prowess with best-known volcanoes such as Krakota (1883) and Vesuvius (79 A.D). The Island of Sumbawa is located in the middle of the Lesser Sunda Islands chain (a group of islands in the southern Maritime Southeast Asia) and is in the province of West Nusa Tenggara3. A map of Mount Tambora is shown in Figure 1 to provide a better perspective of its location. Interestingly enough, Tambora forms its own peninsula on Sumbawa, known as the Sanggar Peninsula. In April of 1815, after years of dormancy, Mount Tambora erupted with great intensity, approximately 7 on the volcanic explosivity index, which is shown in Figure 2. It has been estimated that the eject volume of Tambora was 160 cubic kilometres, which represents the largest volcanic eruption in recorded history. The death toll has been projected to be at least 71,000 people, of who over 15% were killed directly from the eruption1. The remaining 75% have been thought to succumb to starvation and disease, as the eruptive fallout decimated the agricultural industry in the region. Following the eruption, a volcanic winter ensued. As sun become less abundant due to clouds of ash, crops and livestock perished. Please note that all definitions appearing in the footnotes are either taken from already referenced so...
TOHOKU, Japan, Friday, Mar. 11 -Yesterday, a 9.0 magnitude Earthquake struck the east of Tohoku, Japan. The epicentre of the earthquake was located approximately 72 km east of Tohoku (38.3 degrees North latitude and 142.4 degrees East longitude), or 130 km east of Sendai as shown by the X in figure 3 below. The focus of the earthquake was 24.4 km under the epicentre. The earthquake therefore caused a tsunami due to the displacing of water above the Pacific Plate. The earthquake and tsunami together have caused approximately 20,000 deaths, 6152 injuries and 2500 people missing. Approximately 90% of these deaths were by drowning. Approximately 140,000 people have been displaced and over 500,000 buildings and structures have been destroyed or damaged. The early warning system of Japan stopped many bullet trains, and many residents received texted warnings of the earthquake and tsunami on their mobile phones giving them time to evacuate. Figures 1 and 2 show exactly how destructive the tsunami caused by the Tohoku Earthquake was.
I. (Gain Attention and Interest): March 11, 2011. 2:45 pm. Operations at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant continued as usual. At 2:46 pm a massive 9.0 earthquake strikes the island of Japan. All nuclear reactors on the island shut down automatically as a response to the earthquake. At Fukushima, emergency procedures are automatically enabled to shut down reactors and cool spent nuclear fuel before it melts-down in a catastrophic explosion. The situation seems under control, emergency diesel generators located in the basement of the plant activate and workers breathe a sigh of relief that the reactors are stabilizing. Then 41 minutes later at 3:27 pm the unthinkable occurs. As workers monitored the situation from within the plant, citizens from the adjacent town ran from the coastline as a 49 foot tsunami approached. The tsunami came swiftly and flooded the coastline situated Fukushima plant. Emergency generators were destroyed and cooling systems failed. Within hours, a chain of events led to an explosion of reactor 1 of the plant. One by one in the subsequent days reactors 2, and 3 suffered similar fates as explosions destroyed containment cases and the structures surrounding the reactors (Fukushima Accident). Intense amount...
Although volcanoes are difficult to predict, geologists have made many efforts in order to caution the people of Orting and other surrounding towns of possible lahar slides. Residents have been made aware of emergency response plans and they know the proper precautions to take in the case of a volcanic activity emergency. Sirens have been put into place by the fire department and governing bodies of surrounding communities that detect volcanic activity and warn the community of ...
Many of us know Mount Shasta to be a beautiful mountain and a popular tourist location in California. However, this mountain is much more than that, this mountain is actually a volcano. Volcanoes come with a number of hazards and a volcano of this size is of no exception. Previous eruptions on Mount Shasta have given us an idea of the power this volcano has and the damage it may do. With this information scientists are able to predict what may happen should another explosion occur.
Within a thousand kilometres falling ash, lava flows and the utter explosive force of the eruption would kill practically all life. Volcanic ash would cover places as far away as Iowa and the
In March of 2011, Japan suffered one of the largest most powerful earthquakes to hit Honshu, Japan. (“Facts about Japan”) The earthquake registered 8.9 and was the fifth largest most powerful earthquake in the world.... ... middle of paper ... ...
Volcanoes are one of the most destructive forces on Earth. It is estimated that some 500 million people live near active volcanoes (Lutgens and Tarbuck, 2013). Of the Earth's known volcanoes, 70 are expected to erupt each year with at least one large eruption each decade (Lutgens & Tarbuck, 2013). As populations continue to increase and more people are attracted to the beauty surrounding these areas, the immediate threat to humans from these sometimes sleeping giants grows. Due to this, the study of volcanoes and the service that volcanologists provide to the public by way of information and predictions on activity is immeasurable.
While the early warning saved thousands of people, the Japan’s Meteorological Agency underestimated this earthquake as the subduction zone of Japan should not produce the magnitude 9.0 quake (Oskin, 2013a). The Tohoku Earthquake and its tsunami approximately killed 16 thousand people, injured 6 thousand people and around 3 thousand people were missing. Most people died from drowning. Around 300 thousand buildings, 4000 roads, 78 bridges, and many more were affected by the earthquake, tsunami, and fires from leaking oils and gas. Electricity, telecommunication, and railways were severely damaged. The debris of 25 million tons was generated and carried out to the sea by water (BBC News, 2012). The country’s authorities estimated more than 309 billion US dollars of damages. Landslides occurred in Miyagi and liquefaction in Chiba, Tokyo, Odaiba, and Urayasu (USGS, 2013). Furthermore, the tsunami destroyed protective tsunami seawalls. Approximately 217 square miles of Japan covered in water (Oskin,
When a volcano erupts, the focus is particularly on the consequences that take place near the volcano, such as weather conditions, the impact on nature, and the people who are affected. The noticeable changes that take place after a volcanic eruption includes the decrease in the temperature, natural disasters, such as tsunamis, droughts, and hurricanes, and the air pollution, which can be harmful to plants, animals, and people.
The radiation released through ground, air and sea. Around 20 kilo meters of regions from the nuclear power plants was contaminated , and the residents 20 to 30 km from the nuclear power plant were asked to leave the region. The polluted coolant goes to the Pacific Ocean, which is very dangerous, because human being is the placed at the top on the food chain, therefore, the fish consumption may result the cancer. Pacific Ocean is the biggest fishery in the world, and Japan’s fish consumption per person is highest in the world (Mccurry, 2014).
The death toll climbs to over 10,000 and is still rising (Branigan 2). The disaster in Japan began without warning on Friday March 11, 2011 at 2:46pm with a 9.0 magnitude earthquake, the strongest ever recorded in the country (Fackler 3). A massive thirty-three foot high tsunami, generated by the earthquake, swept over lands in northern Japan, taking objects and debris with it. To make matters worse, the tsunami caused the cooling systems at several nuclear power plants to fail. The disaster in Japan was a tragic event, and it had a plethora of causes and effects.
inferred for the reservoir (4). The magma ascent to the surface occurred through a conduit of possibly 70 to 100 m in diameter (5). A thermal model predicts that such a reservoir should contain a core of partially molten magma (6) that can be detected by high-resolution seismic tomography.