The Disaster In Japan: The Quake Explained [Infographic]

What has transpired in Japan since the earthquake last Friday at 2:46pm is horribly sad, and the nuclear situation they are facing is anything but a simple one. After trying to further educate myself about what exactly is going on inside the reactors that seem to be out of control by watching a Discovery documentary about the Chernobyl catastrophe, I think I have a deepened understanding about at least what the problem is. The fact that the Japanese authorities are downgrading the situation while the rest of the world’s authorities are upgrading it isn’t very assuring either. It seems something has to give, and hopefully the Japanese authorities will get it right in the end.

A nuclear Armageddon in Japan is not necessary right now while people are fighting for their lives to survive the effects of the tsunami, which was the result of the earthquake that measured a 8.9/9.0 magnitude on the Richter scale. Whatever is humanly possible for us to do to help the victims of this untimely catastrophe is what we should do, and if you think that individual help won’t make a difference, I suggest you think again.

What I think would be great is to educate ourselves about just why these things happen. For example, learn how a tsunami comes to be and why it has such a devastating effect on the cities that face its fury. Of course, there is plenty of documentation about tsunamis on the Internet as well as in libraries around the world, however sometimes we just want to educate ourselves with the very core of information about a subject.

This infographic showcases the Japanese earthquake and the affects of it right down to the information about how a tsunami is born and how it collects energy through its journey in the sea towards the shoreline cities. Be humane, act humane and help the victims of this horrible catastrophe.