Mar 14, 2011 06:58 GMT  ·  By
Hydrogen explosion at the Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant, following the 8.9-magnitude tremor that struck Japan on March 11
   Hydrogen explosion at the Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant, following the 8.9-magnitude tremor that struck Japan on March 11

In the aftermath of the March 11 tremor that devastated Japan, the country is currently trying to come to terms with the consequences that the most powerful earthquake in the nation's history had. Among them is the explosion that affected a nuclear power plant reactor, and is currently endangering another.

The Fukushima-Daiichi nuclear power plant is the most affected of Japan's critical nuclear infrastructure. It has three reactors, of which one has already blown up. The emergency cooling system keeping another from exploding too has just given way too.

According to Japanese prime minister Naoto Kan, this is the worst crisis to face the nation since the nuclear attack by the United States, at the end of World War II. Between rescue efforts, power outages, lack of water, and the nuclear threat, authorities are desperately trying to get a grip on the situation.

To make matters even worse, experts announce a high probability of another large tremor hitting the area soon. Though an aftershock to the initial, 8.9-magnitude tremor, it too could reach a magnitude of 7 degrees, or maybe even more.

The announcement was made by officials with the Japan Meterological Agency (JMA), who said there is a 70 percent probability that such a large aftershock will take place in the next three days.

Scientists managing the Fukushima reactors are currently trying to prevent the #3 reactor from blowing up like #1 reactor did. They are pumping large volumes of seawater and boric acid into the structure.

This is done to capture neutrons in the nuclear material. Otherwise, the elementary particles could trigger a chain fission reaction, with potentially devastating consequences. The #3 reactor uses a mixture of plutonium oxide, unlike #1, which uses uranium.

Plutonium is widely considered to be more potentially harmful than uranium because of its neutronic effects and volatility. In other words, there is a higher risk of fire and catastrophic nuclear meltdown at #3 than there was at #1.

Fukushima-Daiichi is one of the 25 most powerful nuclear plants in the world. When the earthquake and ensuing tsunamis hit, only three of its six reactors were operational. As the tremor began, they shut down automatically, but lack of power meant lack of cooling.

A hydrogen explosion in an auxiliary facility prevented the backup cooling system from operating properly for all reactors. Scientists could route enough coolant to the #2 and #3 reactors, but insufficient amounts remained for the #1 reactor.

Its concrete top blew off as a result, releasing large amounts of radiation in the surrounding area of the Fukushima Prefecture. Between 170,000 and 200,000 people were evacuated from the region, in order to prevent them from being contaminated, Daily Galaxy reports.