PROPHETIC SIGNIFICANCE:
Jesus listed earthquakes as one of the major "signs of the times" leading to the End Times events. Earthquakes
and related tsunamis seem to be getting larger and more frequent lately.
Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in
various places. 8 All these are the beginning of birth pains.
- Matthew 24:7-8 (NIV)
Is there really an increase in seismic activity? From some perspectives it certainly seems that there
is, but scientists remind us that this could also be due to the increased effectiveness in measuring and reporting
events. In any case, there is no doubt that this period of time qualifies as a fulfillment of the prophecy that
"there will be earthquakes!"
Year-End Review of Japanese Earthquake, Tsunami and Nuclear Plant Failure
Dec. 27, 2011 - Facts gleaned from sources listed below:
- Nearly 20,000 people dead or missing
- Nearly 335,000 people still living as evacuees
- Core meltdowns occured in number 1,2, and 3 Reactors - Fukishima No. 1 nuclear power plant
- Declared to be "Level 7" (highest) in severity, equal to the 1986 Chernobyl disaster in the former Soviet Union
- 110,000 people evacuated - Surrounding area now a "no-man's land"
- Massive amounts of radioactive substances were dispersed into the atmosphere
- Decomissioning of the reactors is expected to take 30 to 40 years
Sept. 25, 2011 - There is reason to believe that earthquake activity is increasing.
The last decade has seen an intensification in earthquake activities. The 2004 Sumatra quake in Indonesia, which
registered 9.3 on the Richter scale, has triggered stress in many areas. The Sikkim earthquake [9/18/11 - India 6.9 magnitude] could be a
manifestation of this stress.
Other large recent earthquakes include the Fukushima quake in Japan (at magnitude 8.9- the largest in Japan's recorded
history), the February 2010 Chile quake, and the January 2010 quake in Haiti.
Scientists blame the construction of dams for some of the increased earthquake activity. Globally, there are over
90 identified sites of earthquakes triggered by the filling of water reservoirs.
Aug. 23, 2011 - The East Coast has experienced a 5.8 earthquake that affected people from North Carolina to Michigan. Two nuclear reactors at the North Anna Power Station in Louisa County, Va., were shut down automatically.
The Dominion-operated power plant is being run off three emergency diesel generators, which are supplying power for
critical safety equipment. The NRC and Dominion are sending people to inspect the plant.
The nuclear fuel in three of the reactors at the Fukushima Dai-Ichi nuclear plant has melted through the
base of the pressure vessels and is pooling in the outer containment vessels, according to a report by the
Japanese government.
It has also been determined that this leak occurred within hours of the original failure of the reactors. So far the
molten fuel is being cooled by water, but the water becomes radioactive and then contaminates the environment around
the reactors, including the sea water. The result will be higher levels of radiation and a longer period of time
required to control the damage. They are hopeful that a cold shutdown could be achieved by October.
The report, which was given to the International Atomic Energy Agency, said that such a "melt-through" was "far
worse than a core meltdown" and "the worst possibility in a nuclear accident."
In Ishinomaki, Japan, the March 11 earthquake has changed the city... The earthquake was so powerful,
reports the AP, that some areas of Ishinomaki moved 17 feet to the southeast and sank 4 feet.
Twice each day, at high tide, the city is flooded with knee-deep water.
April 14, 2011 - New studies reveal the extent of the underground "plume" of molten rock under the
Yellowstone supervolcano.
A 2009 seismic study showed the plume dips downward from Yellowstone at an angle of 60 degrees and
extends 150 miles west-northwest to a point at least 410 miles under the Montana-Idaho border.
Apr. 12, 2011 - Japan has raised the crisis level of its damaged nuclear plant at Fukushima from 5 to 7. This
is the highest level, equal to that of the Chernobyl disaster in 1986.
The new ranking signifies a "major accident" that includes widespread effects on the environment and health...
But Japanese officials played down any health effects and stressed that the harm caused by Chernobyl still
far outweighs that caused by the Fukushima plant.
Radioactive iodine-131 readings taken from seawater near the water intake of the Fukushima No. 1
nuclear plant's No. 2 reactor reached 7.5 million times the legal limit, Tokyo Electric Power Co. admitted
Tuesday.
Apr. 1, 2011 - The mother of one of the workers at the Fukushima nuclear plant in Japan said that
they expect to die from radiation sickness or cancer because of their continued exposure to dangerously high
radioactive levels as they attempt to bring vital cooling systems back online.
“My son and his colleagues have discussed it at length and they have committed themselves to die if necessary
to save the nation."
Mar. 28, 2011 - Contaminated water inside Unit 2 of Japan's damaged nuclear reactor plant shows radiation
levels some 100,000 times normal amounts. Workers have also discovered radioactive water in the deep trenches
outside three units, emmitting more than four times the level that the government considers safe.
The frantic effort to get temperatures down and avert a widening disaster has been slowed and complicated
by fires, explosions, leaks and dangerous spikes in radiation. Two workers were burned after wading into
highly radioactive water, officials said.
Mar. 25, 2011 -Another strong aftershock (magnitude-6.4) struck near Japan's northeastern coast.
A suspected breach in the core at one reactor at a stricken Fukushima nuclear plant could mean more serious
radioactive contamination, Japanese officials revealed Friday -- a situation the prime minister called "very
grave and serious."
Dozens of workers had been trying feverishly to stop the overheated plant from leaking dangerous radiation, but
work has been halted. A breach in the core could mean a much larger release of radiation.
Mar. 24, 2011 - According to Japan'sP ort and Airport Research Institute. the height of a tsunami wave
where it struck Iwate Prefecture on March 11 was 77.4 feet high.
But even at that height, the wave in Ofunato was lower than Japan’s domestic record of 125 feet, measured
in the 1896 Meiji Sanriku Earthquake Tsunami, which killed 27,000 on the Japanese island of Honshu.
Mar. 21, 2011 - Progress has been made to restore stability to the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in
northern Japan, but gray smoke billowed from building No. 3 that houses a spent fuel storage pool, and the building
was evacuated.
Today workers alternated between injecting water into the equally volatile No. 4 spent fuel pool and working to
restore electricity to the plant’s normal cooling system.
Mar. 21, 2011 - Japanese police estimate that more than 18,000 people have died in earthquake and tsunami
disasters so far.
The World Bank said it may cost Japan as much as £145bn to repair the damage.
Japanese paused at the one-week mark following the monster earthquake and ensuing tsunami as the death toll
continued its steady climb to 6,911, the National Police Agency reported. Another 10,316 people are missing.
Mar. 17, 2011 - If correct, 'nothing to stop fuel rods from getting hotter and ultimately melting down'
A nearly completed new power line could also restore electric cooling systems in the facility that were
damaged after last week’s 9.0-magnitude earthquake and subsequent tsunami... The operator at the damaged
plant says external power cables could be connected to the site within hours.
Mar. 16, 2011 - A surge in radiation at Japan’s malfunctioning Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear facility caused
workers to suspend their efforts to try to cool the overheating reactor core. Radiation has now decreased to about
300 times normal levels, allowing them to return to the task of trying to stop the melt-down of the facility.
Japan ordered a nearby 140,000 people to seal themselves indoors after a series of explosions and fires at
the plant. Hospitals had to be evacuated and thousands were screened for radiation exposure.
Mar. 15, 2011 - The danger has escalated at Fukushima's No. 1 nuclear plant. It is now rated at six on a
seven-point scale of gravity.
Dangerous levels of radiation leaking from a crippled nuclear plant forced Japan to order 140,000
people to seal themselves indoors Tuesday after an explosion and a fire dramatically escalated the crisis
spawned by a deadly tsunami.
Mar. 14, 2011 - After cooling systems failed at the nuclear reactors at the Fukushima Dai-ichi plant plant in
Japan, operators flooded the reactors with sea water. They knew that this would cause a pressure buildup in the
reactor containment vessels but felt they had no other choice. Hydrogen in the released steam mixed with oxygen
in the atmosphere to set off two explosions at the facilities. The structures housing the reactors were damaged.
Water levels dropped precipitously at another reactor, completely exposing the fuel rods and raising
the threat of a meltdown.
The 8.9 magnitude earthquake is among the top 10 ever recorded and occurred on an irregular fault line
where a smaller temblor would be expected.
According to seismologist Susan Hough of the U.S. Geological Survey in Pasadena, "It's bigger than any known
historic earthquake in Japan, and bigger than expectations for that area."
