thewheelsimplyturns December 11 2013 (Thanks, Brad)
Introduction
The nuclear crisis began on 3/11/11. While many claim that the tsunami is what caused the melt-down, it actually began during the earthquake that preceded it. Unlike Chernobyl, this is not a single melt-down, it is a triple melt-down. The molten fuel, or corium as many call it, melted through containment and into the mud-rock beneath the facility. The corium is still underground and fission is on-going.
A term commonly used to refer to run-away corium is China Syndrome. It originates from a 1979 movie of the same name. The idea is that the corium would burn through the Earth and come out the other side. While the idea in itself is a fantasy, the basic premise is happening. Nobody knows exactly what’s going to happen. There are no experts on this because it’s never happened before.
With that said, we can dig deeper into this. Lets start with the impact on the environment.
Environment
The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear crisis is, by far, the worst industrial accident of all time. It makes other industrial accidents, such as the Chernobyl melt-down or the BP oil spill, look tame in comparison.