Given Chernobyl, the devastion there, I dunno we wanna help it.

Put it this way, I wouldn't want to like within 500km of a nuclear plant.

Facinating...

I just read that the whole island of Japan has shifted 2.4 meters to the east. That's almost 8 feet!

I also read that the earths axis shifted 10cm (almost 4 inches).

And the day shortened by another millionth of a second. It was the shifting of the Earth's mass during the quake. When you displace that huge a chunk of real estate there are bound to be changes however slight. Lets hope the ring settles down now. Four quakes and three of them rather large inside of a week so close together is not a good thing by any stretch.

I somehow don't think it is all over just yet.  With such a major shift on one side of the Pacific, it is quite possible there will be a similar event on the other side in the not too distant future.  For every action there is a reaction, and when such a huge chunk of real estate is suddenly shifted with such great force, there must be consequences elsewhere. 

The Earth, being dynamic, will make the necessary adjustments to recalibrate itself in order to remain a constant as it had done for billions of years.  The alternative would/could be, however, a too great an axis shift, with irregular rotations and an unstable orbit... all of which would create abnormal conditions world-wide.  This has occurred in the past, resulting in ice ages and/or unseasonally hot weather conditions, such as El Nino, etc.  Hopefully the planet will readjust and avert such a catastrophic event.

Oh, and BTW, I studied tectonics and vulcanology when I went back to school to better myself in the late 80's, and while I'm no expert I do have some understanding of the dynamics of the subject.

It's never over. as long as the crust floats on the magma and the earth rotates.

News from my cousin in Okinawa. There are 5 power plants with cooling issues, not 2 like the news is reporting over here.

The mainland of Japan protected Okinawa from the tsunami, so all they saw there was some waves that looked like high tides.

Thanks for the truth, Xiandi. I think the worst mistake governments make is not to tell the full truth as soon as they learn it. Transparancy in a nuclear accident would seem axiomatic.

No, it's never over, and for the reasons you gave, but we can hope that the counter event to balance things out is quite mild in comparison.

     I'm not an expert, far from it, I just dabble. As far as compensation for the island shifting, that has already happened. The shortening of the day is a direct result and starkers counter event. The process of plate tectonics is a natural one as I'm sure every one here is aware of. That arc of the Ring of Fire is the most active one. I checked out an earthquake map from the USGS that displays the number and location of earthquakes over a seven day span. On the map were over 800 earthquakes around the world. Most were located on the western edge of the ring and up north in Alaska. The least amount along the southern west coast of the US.

      The Pacific plate is moving north and slightly northwest at about three inches a year. Not a whole helluva lot but over time the pressure accumulates, especially when plates are 'locked', here the San Andreas comes to mind. Japan sits on top of a subduction zone, meaning that in that part the Pacifuc plate is subducted, slides under, the plate it comes up against. (Don't remember the name of that plate) I think its the Eurasian plate but I'm not sure. Anyway .... that movement accounts for Japan being displaced by how much? Eight feet according to Lady Xiandi. I wouldn't be surprised if the elevation has changed.

      In comparison on the US west coast the San Andreas fault zone is called a 'slip' fault. The Pacific plate sliding by the North American plate (remembered that one) at the same rate of movement. There the pressure continues to build and is sometimes partially eased by the micro-quakes and mini temblors that occur there on an almost regular basis. The 'Big One', the one that's supposed to send California into the pacific has yet to happen. The one in 1906 was given, I believe it was, an 8.0 rating. Japan's was a 8.9 (revised up from an 8.4). There are larger ones, 9.1 for example. That's close to a hundred times more powerful and its only two points higher. I wonder if all that movement on the western part of the ring is easing the stress on the eastern part or increasing it. It wouldn't come as a surprise were geologists to discover that the Pacific plate is rotating slight counterclockwise. If that's the case then the US west coast is in for a sudden 'shock'. No pun intended.

That is the counter event which is quite likely, looking at the opposites and historical records.  Christchurch in the Southern Pacific in relation to Japan... Japan in the Western Pacific in relation to the US.  Often the opposite seismic event follows within a relatively short period [not months or years] so it is reasonable to assume an event on the West Coast of the US is possible in the not too distant future. 

The South American Continent may also produce major seismic events during this time also.... meaning further events in the North Pacific and/orin the vicinity of Indonesia would likely follow.

Actually, on my evening news [13.03.11] it was revised upward to a 9.0... making it the 4th largest quake since records began, and equal in intensity to the Kamchatka quake of 1952.  More info on that here

The Japanese are projecting 10,000 dead in one Prefecture....and a second reactor in jeopardy. The Nisei will tank, and their insurance companies will be devestated also. Nothing but horrific news from there. A 60 year old man was rescued from the roof of his house....9 miles at sea!

Japan sits on the most active part, 80%, of the ring of fire. Got it from google and the USGS.

Update from Christchurch: Aftershocks are higher than what was expected while the opposite is true of Japan. That is not a good thing. Possibility of an increase in seismic pressure elsewhere. The red dots on the map are volcanoes. Something else to consider. Earthquakes have been known to set them off.

Um, and didn't I read somewhere recently that Mt St Helens was grumbling a bit more than it had done for some time?

Mt. St. Helens is no longer dormant. That changed back in 1980 when it erupted. It is now a very active volcano and the possibility does exist for it to go again. The one that really worries USGS is Mt. Ranier. Bigger by far than Mt.St.Helens and right on Seattle's doorstep. That one has not been listed as dormant! If that one goes so goes Seattle.

Only 10 cm, Doc.

And the whole of Japan main island was pushed 2.5 meters.

Mother Earth is pissed off, and has had enough. She's fighting back with a vengeance.
(I don't f***ing blame her. We, the human race, are the worst scum in existence.)