Posted on 03/18/2011 11:29:04 AM PDT by DTogo
Amid the human tragedy, tsunami destruction and nuclear crisis in Japan, another story has gone unreported in the densely populated suburbs of Chiba prefecture just east of Tokyo: the liquefaction of hundreds of acres of reclaimed land. We all know that sand castles on the beach do not last against the tide, and neither do sound houses built on foundations of sand.
The possible liquifecation of large segments of bayside property built up since WWII has long been a concern of geologists and disaster agencies in Japan, and has recently been experienced on a large scale in Christchurch where several neighborhoods are expected to be condemned and abandonded.
The link above highlights the personal account of one gaijin literally watching the ground crack around him, and then the ground water bubble above the surface. I've also heard from family in Chiba that numerous sidewalks, roads, and also some housing structures were affected by liquefaction. Using the Japanese term for liquefaction 液状化(eki jou ka, literally change to a liquid state) in the Youtube search box, numerous personal accounts in Japan can be found.
HERE a very well-informed young lady videotapes the liquefaction of the sidewalk in Urayasu, and identifies it as such when you hear here say at 33sec that it's ekijouka and "they say that mud will come out of the ground."
In front of a crowd of daytime shoppers in Shin Urayasu the sidewalks buckle, crack and the earth "bleeds" mud for all to see.
This video shows some of the aftermath along one of many affected roads.
I don’t think bubbling water is what they mean by earthquake “liquefaction.” It refers to the fact that in low lying areas that are mostly soil, the soil itself acts like a liquid during a big quake. It sloshes around. That’s why in the LA Northridge quake, the damage was spread so unevenly. The Hollywood flats (quite some distance from the quake) and Santa Monica (much further than that) were damaged very badly. Places much closer that were rocky hardly took any damage at all.
That video of “liquefaction” looks like a broken sprinkler pipe.
Whoa...
God bless the nation of Japan.
“But I’m neither a geologist nor a plumber”
Both are irrelevant if you stayed in a Holiday Inn last night.
The one striking thing about all those videos is how composed the Japanese people are in a time of crisis.
It never amazes me how some people are oblivious to their surroundings.
I wonder how many died trying to film the tsunami? (besides the idiot in California)
I’m no expert on the subject, but it seems overly coincidental that the “liquefaction” videos from Christchurch look very similar those in Japan. Also, these reclaimed land areas around Tokyo Bay are known to be of concern to geologists as prime spots for liquefaction in a big quake.
I remember reading about a quake near Long Beach, Ca. where cars, trucks and boats parked on a dirt area along the water’s edge liquefied during the quake and the vehicles were never seen again by the eyewitnesses.
I sat thru the Northridge quake in an area that had some “liquefaction.” Five ton plinths coming off a building right next to me and one fell about 20 feet from where I was. Heavy furniture (solid wood coffee table) flying across the room. No water at all showed after the quake.
The earth itself acts like a liquid, which is why it shakes so much when it “liquefies.” It’s possible water could come out in wet areas when the soil liquefies and maybe water can exacerbate the effect.
But the phenomenon refers to the earth itself acting like a liquid, which it does all by itself in landfills and low-lying areas filled with runoff type soil. The soil in LA is not very wet but it liquefied just fine. That’s one reason, when you buy a home in the Hollywood Hills, you want to know if it is on cut or fill.
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Yes, I was struck by that as well. Are they simply stoic? In shock? I don't know.
Yes.
And Washington, DC.
Did you notice none of the bicycles were locked or chained?
My motorcycle was stolen one day and returned the next day. It was found by the police 200 miles away. The local cop knew everyone in his area and knew the kid who turned up with my bike should not have it. This was 1961 - things may have changed.
Did you notice none of the bicycles were locked or chained?
My motorcycle was stolen one day and returned the next day. It was found by the police 200 miles away. The local cop knew everyone in his area and knew the kid who turned up with my bike should not have it. This was 1961 - things may have changed.
Along the line of discussion - has anyone else been following the number of worldwide earthquakes over the past 48 hours? They just had one in Arizona of all places at a 3.7. Several along the pacific east over past 48 most in 3-4 range, and of course Japan is still extremely active with numerous fives on a daily basis. Just curious if anyone else has thoughts ....
You’re right, quite a few:
http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/recenteqsus/
The Arizona one just sorta jumped out at me, there was also one off puget sound, washington 18 hours back at 2.9, so it doesn’t just seem to be the “usual suspects”
I still think the water source is from broken water mains. This is a highly urbanized area with massive below grade infrastructure. The water is only coming to the surface in select locations.
I need to see video of the same thing happening in a less developed area to remove the doubt.
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