Last Friday a monster earthquake, now estimated at magnitude 9.0, struck in the subduction zone just to the west of the northern part of Japan. 250 miles of the fault ruptured as the Pacific plate pushed 18 feet or so under the Japanese Archapelago. Some places on the coast moved as much as 8 feet from their former GPS positions.
The tsunami that struck the coast in as little as five minutes after the rupture destroyed many coastal cities, and the TV and Internet footage showing that destruction are truly awesome.
This is Nature at her worst, or best, depending upon your perspective. In any case, the images are truly breathtaking.
So we have a fourth cat, Nature, that we must contend with. Before I was only talking about resource depletion, climate change, and over-population. But now we must also contend with Nature, and what Mother Earth can do to us.
The impact of this event will last for years. Japan is already in trouble with its economy and energy situation, and now it will get worse. The drag on the rest of the world will be horrendous. Though there are some who are celebrating the fact that the price of oil dropped (because Japan in unable to take delivery on some of its purchases -- the ports are effectively closed in some areas), the longer term impact will be a requirement for more energy, for more fuel, as they try to repair the damage.
I believe this will bring in the time when we have more problems. We are going downstream, now the current is flowing even faster. There is a great waterfall ahead.
