, meaning ''nuclear power plant earthquake disaster'' (from the two words ''Genpatsu'' – nuclear power plant – and ''Shinsai'' – earthquake disaster) is a term which was coined by Japanese

seismologist Seismology (; from Ancient Greek σεισμός (''seismós'') meaning "earthquake" and -λογία (''-logía'') meaning "study of") is the scientific study of earthquakes and the propagation of elastic waves through the Earth or through other ...

Professor

Katsuhiko Ishibashi is a professor in the ''Research Center for Urban Safety and Security'' in the ''Graduate School of Science'' at Kobe University, Japan and a seismologist who has written extensively in the areas of seismicity and seismotectonics in and around th ...

in 1997.Genpatsu-Shinsai: Catastrophic Multiple Disaster of Earthquake and Quake-induced Nuclear Accident Anticipated in the Japanese Islands (Slides)

, 23rd. General Assembly of IUGG, 2003, Sapporo, Japan, accessed 2011-03-28 It describes a

domino effect A domino effect or chain reaction is the cumulative effect generated when a particular event triggers a chain of similar events. This term is best known as a mechanical effect and is used as an analogy to a falling row of dominoes. It typically ...

scenario in which a major

earthquake An earthquake (also known as a quake, tremor or temblor) is the shaking of the surface of the Earth resulting from a sudden release of energy in the Earth's lithosphere that creates seismic waves. Earthquakes can range in intensity, fr ...

causes a severe accident at a

nuclear power plant A nuclear power plant (NPP) is a thermal power station in which the heat source is a nuclear reactor. As is typical of thermal power stations, heat is used to generate steam that drives a steam turbine connected to a generator that produces ...

near a major population centre, resulting in an uncontrollable release of radiation in which the radiation levels make damage control and rescue impossible, and earthquake damage severely impedes the evacuation of the population. Ishibashi envisages that such an event would have a global impact and a 'fatal' effect on Japan, seriously affecting

future generations Future generations are cohorts of hypothetical people not yet born. Future generations are contrasted with current and past generations, and evoked in order to encourage thinking about intergenerational equity. The moral patienthood of future ge ...

.Genpatsu-Shinsai: Catastrophic Multiple Disaster of Earthquake and Quake-induced Nuclear Accident Anticipated in the Japanese Islands (Abstract)

, 23rd. General Assembly of IUGG, 2003, Sapporo, Japan, accessed 2011-03-28 In Japan, Ishibashi believes that a number of nuclear power stations could be involved in such a scenario, but that the

Hamaoka Nuclear Power Plant The is a nuclear power plant in the city of Omaezaki in Shizuoka Prefecture, on Japan's east coast, 200 km south-west of Tokyo. It is managed by the Chubu Electric Power Company. There are five units contained at a single site with a net ...

, located near the centre of the expected Tōkai earthquakes, is the most likely candidate. He is also concerned that a similar scenario could take place elsewhere in the world. As a result, he believes that the matter should be a global concern.

External links

* Katsuhiko Ishibashi
"Why worry? Japan's nuclear plants at grave risk from quake damage"
''The Asia-Pacific Journal: Japan Focus'' (August 11, 2007) *Michael Reilly

(preview only) ''

New Scientist ''New Scientist'' is a magazine covering all aspects of science and technology. Based in London, it publishes weekly English-language editions in the United Kingdom, the United States and Australia. An editorially separate organisation publishe ...

'' (July 28, 2007).

References

Nuclear power in Japan Nuclear power Nuclear safety and security Nuclear accidents and incidents Earthquakes in Japan Japanese words and phrases Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster {{nuclear-power-stub

See also

External links

References