4 ms·
Looking up in http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richter_magnitude_scale http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richter_magnitude_scale the Richter Scale "is a base-10 logarith
by reirob 16y ago
Looking up in http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richter_magnitude_scale http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richter_magnitude_scale the Richter Scale "is a base-10 logarithmic scale obtained by calculating the logarithm of the combined horizontal amplitude (shaking amplitude) ...". This means that a Richter magnitude of 9 has a 10 time bigger shaking amplitude than Richter magnitude 8. I do not know for which earthquake magnitude the power plants in Japan were planned but apparently the risk assessment was not good enough.
This said, I am opposed to nuclear power - I think that apart the natural catastrophe risks, as you said there is human error that cannot be calculated, there is no "clean" solution for the nuclear waste and again we are relying on radioactive materials that are limited so anyway mankind will have to look for other solutions. I think it is high time to make an effort and look for other solutions.
- masklinn 16y agoNote that the richter scale is outdated, the current scale (while sometimes mis-named Richter) is the Moment Magnitude Scale. It is also a logarithmic scale. Furthermore, as with Richter, > This means that a Richter magnitude of 9 has a 10 time bigger shaking amplitude than Richter magnitude 8 Yes, and a bit above 30 times the energy released (2 magnitudes indicate a thousandfold increase in energy)
- bioh42_2 16y agoYes, but I think makmanalp point was that earthquakes of up to 8.9 are not unknown in Japan, and there's also been a 9.5 in the world. Thus it would be reasonable to expect 9+ earthquakes and tsunamis in Japan. Now, can you make anything withstand that? I am not sure, but I think it is possible. It would make electrical power more expensive but how much would more expensive electricity shave of Japan's GDP? Enough to justify not doing it?