Humanity at the Height of Folly: Nuclear Power and Earthquake ZonesRichard Wilcox It really does make one wonder how all of the worlds aging reactors will be dealt with if there is a global economic collapse. According to the Wall Street Journal which reported the research of Tohoku University geologists, the following points are worth noting: The only ray of hope I could glean from this scenario is that seismicity near the FNPP plant is relatively low compared to that near Iwaki, but Iwaki is only a few miles to the south of the FNPP. A fault line that runs close to the plant could be weakened by shifting seismic fluids (8). The Tohoku University geologists make clear the daily quakes Japan experiences arenot anomalous but according to a well studied and documented pattern: Their report is supported by other research that claims aftershocks along Fukushima, Ibaraki borders may take over 100 years to subside [and this region is] relatively close to the damaged Fukushima No. 1 Nuclear Power Plant (10). As Kobe University seismologist Katsuhiko Ishibashi noted to a government panel in 2005, an earthquake and its seismic thrust can hit multiple parts of a nuclear plant and result in a severe accident (11). No one listened to Professor Ishibashi then (ironically his name is translated as stone bridge) but they sure the heck should have! In addition, Tokyo University geologists have now warned that chances of a new big earthquake in Japan are 75 percent in the next four years, and that Japan has drastically underestimated the power of earthquakes in their building standards. Nuclear plants are vastly under prepared for the magnitude of large quakes, having been based on projections that are now outdated and debunked. In essence, it is impossible to build nuclear power plants to withstand major earthquakes (12). From the official Japanese sources themselves we can see that the 3/11 earthquake intensity was 6+ and that it was indeed strong enough to destroy at least Unit 1 at the FNPP. According to at least two reputable sources Unit 1 was destroyed primarily due to seismic activity and not the tsunami or failed back up generators (although those events contributed) (13). Tokyo Electric Power Company (Tepco) and the Japanese Governmentthe Keystone Cops teamed up with the Larry Curly and Moe outfit is still telling us that we should not worry. Tepco recently complained to critics that: It sounds like a lot of mumbo jumbo to me 20 percent improvements do not inspire confidence in a region ridden with constant seismic activity. Such statements are absurdly overconfident on the face. The FNPP complex looks like a war zone which is at any rate not as fit as it originally was, and even if in pristine condition may not handle a major earthquake. Nevertheless, lets hope the fools are right this time because we could all use a little Mercy Now (15). Short of the Hand of Grace intervening, people of good conscience had better act quickly to solve this problem. 1. Japans Near Miss With Massive Nuclear Catastrophe: The Crisis Continues http://www.cduniverse.com/search/xx/music/pid/6819176/a/Mercy+Now.htm 