Earthquake Japan

[oddnutz]

(in Japanese, but with a Google-Translate link) ... Jiji News ...
Primary or core meltdown in the discovery of cesium in the vicinity of the first-Hukushima - NISA
Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry on August 12, the first nuclear power plant damaged by earthquake Toukyoudenryoku Hukuzima East (town Ookuma Fukushima Futaba town) in Unit 1, soluble in hot fuel rods "meltdown" has occurred likely announced.

According to NISA, No. 1 around the detection of radioactive cesium on NIRS team. Cesium is contained in nuclear fuel rods, because of its high melting point, it is estimated that the likely cause meltdown.

http://www.jiji.com/


does not look good if this is correct.


more on the possible meltdown >>>

3:04pm

Japanese nuclear authorities say there is a high possibility that nuclear fuel rods at a reactor at Tokyo Electric Power Company's (TEPC) Fukushima Daiichi plant may be melting or have melted, Jiji news agency reports.

Experts have said that if the fuel rods have been damaged, it means that it could develop into a breach of the nuclear reactor vessel and the question then becomes one of how strong the containment structure around the vessel is and whether it has been undermined by the earthquake – and if it can withstand the likely aftershocks.

You can see a photo of the Fukushima Daiichi plant here. The plant is one of the 25 largest nuclear power stations in the world, has six separate units on site, and lies over 200km north of Tokyo.

For more on the possibility of a nuclear meltdown, see our news story.

http://blogs.aljazeera.net/live/asia...e#update-10551