Posted on 03/15/2011 8:41:26 AM PDT by dragnet2
The operators of the San Onofre and Diablo Canyon plants say they are able to withstand quakes of magnitude 7.0. Seismologists say a Japan-size quake is not likely locally because there is no subduction zone.
Officials tried to reassure Californians on Monday that the kind of nuclear crisis facing Japan was highly unlikely at the state's two nuclear power plants.
Southern California Edison officials acknowledged that the San Onofre nuclear power plant was built to withstand a magnitude 7.0 quake — not the 9.0 temblor that hit Japan. But quake experts said the chance of a similar-sized quake —and a tsunami — occurring in the southern half of California were highly unlikely.
"There's no offshore fault in any of Southern California that's exactly like the one that broke in Japan," said Thomas H. Jordan, director of the Southern California Earthquake Center at USC.
Experts said there was essentially no risk of an earthquake that would generate a tsunami like the one that struck Japan at either site because there is no subduction zone — where one plate slides under another — off the shore.
An earthquake could cause undersea landslides that would potentially generate a tsunami, but it would be of a much smaller scale.
Northern California and the Pacific Northwest are at a greater risk of a major tsunami because of their proximity to the Cascadia subduction zone.
(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...
The operators of the San Onofre and Diablo Canyon plants say they are able to withstand quakes of magnitude 7.0. Seismologists say a Japan-size quake is not likely locally because there is no subduction zone.
Even our beaches next to the nuke plants are nice!
:o
Life in paradise goes on!
Turkey Point Nuclear power plant in the Florida Keys............
We always called those “The Grand Tetons.”
Am I wrong, or, in this instance, should people concerned about nuclear power plants be concerned about back-up power systems rather than the general safety of nuclear power?
Seattle will get hit with 9.0 before SoCal does.
The weather in California is nice and all, but I’d rather take my chances in the hurricane-prone Gulf south. The beaches in Florida are better, anyway. :)
HAHAHAHA ROFL
This is the funniest article yet!
OF COURSE the chance for a 9.0 is SMALL.
It is SMALL everywhere!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
DUHHHHHHHHHHHHH
Until last week it was also unlikely for Japan to get hit by a 9.0 quake.
Cliffs and beach next to San Onofre nuke plant..
Although the author is correct in pointing out there is no subduction in southern CA, what he fails to mention that the San Andreas Fault is a giant Transition (or more commonly, Strike-Slip) Fault that is tied into the subduction zone . . . cause for alarm in the event of a 9+ seismic event at Cascadia? I think so.
Yeah, the chance of a 9.0 earthquake and massive tsunami was also “small” in Japan...
Cheers
I think anywhere along the Ring Of Fire is susceptible to a 9.0 eventually. The continental plates buckle and snap at the oddest times.............
I was listening to a fellow on Coast to Coast (radio program) last night and he mentioned a frightening point: There have been “hits” on 3 of the 4 corners of the plate in the Ring of Fire zone in the last couple of years. He went on to explain how the tension and pressure build and the plates break and resettle. The west coast of the US is the part that has not resettled yet.
I know Coast to Coast has the rep for being a silly program about alien abductions...but for the last few years they have had some really interesting topics and smart guests. The show last night had me on edge.
Oh, and then they mentioned something about how a small Christian sect has been predicting the end of the world in May. This was to follow an EARTHQUAKE OF BIBLICAL PROPORTIONS.
After I heard that I turned the radio off and decided not to listen to Coast to Coast in the middle of the night anymore.
“Chance of tsunami, 9.0 quake is small in Southern, Central CA, easing nuclear plant risks”
Chance of tsunami, 9.0 quake is small in Southern, Central CA, until it happens.
Funny how they assume that the building /backup plans with survive a, say, 8.7, earthquake. They need to turn on CNN and see what can happen.
After the dust settles, all the backup systems at all the plants in the U.S. will be analyzed, and updates will be made if necessary.
Sorry this upsets you...
:o
I'm given to understand that the rock lobsters LOVE the warm water discharge.
And are quite tasty...
LOL!
The germans just decomissioned their 7 oldest nuclear power plants today. And are going to analyze the safety margins of the remaining 9.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-03-15/german-pre-1980-nuclear-plants-to-be-halted-merkel-says.html
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