Thursday, September 19, 2013

5.3-Magnitude Earthquake Hits Japan's Fukushima.

A 5.3 moderate earthquake has hit Japan near the country's no longer  existing Fukushima nuclear power plant which was crippled in the March  2011 tsunami and earthquake.

The United States Geological Service (USGS) measured this quake which   took place at 17:25 GMT at a 5.3 magnitude. The Japan Meteorological Agency, however,  opposed the measurements of the The United States Geological Service by  saying that the actual magnitude of the earthquake was 5.8.


According to the United States Geological Service (USGS) survey, the  earthquake's epicentre was 22 kilometers blow the ground, "thats about 14  miles." The quake hit 20 kilometers west of Iwaki city, bordering the  Pacific Ocean, at 17:25 GMT.

The Japan Meteorological Agency which put its magnitude at 5.8 said that  the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center did not issue an alert. The  involuntary quivering movement of the quake caused the shaking of building  in Tokyo which is around 175 kilometers way.

The company in charge of the site's cleanup operations (TEPCO) has  reported that it is monitoring the plant, and it added that so-far no  occurrences have been discovered.

 
The quake hit the Fukushima nuclear power plant just hours after the Japanese  Prime Minister "Shinzo Abe" visited on Thursday, ordering the TEPCO to scrap  all the reactors and fix radioactive water leaks.

The disaster that occurred in 2011 caused the plant's three reactors to  melt which damaged a fuel cooling pool at another. The TEPCO officials  have confirmed that radiation contaminated the groundwater. The  contaminated water has been seeping beneath the Pacific Ocean since the  meltdowns and the reports say that the attempts to collect and store  polluted water have not been successful.

The Fukushima nuclear power plant lies in the 4 major tectonic plates  commonly known as the "Ring of Fire" the North America plate; Eurasia  plate; and Philippine Sea plate and Pacific plate, this means that it is  highly exposed to being attacked by tsunamis and earthquakes. According to  the reports, its about 90% of the world's earthquakes occur in this  region. 

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