The Ring of Fire
When I decided to follow Kevin to Japan, there were a lot of things leading up to my departure date that I had to deal with. As such, I didn't really even think about the meteorological differences between New York and Japan. The only thing I really asked about was snow. Does it snow in Yokosuka, Japan? Coming from central New York where blizzards and white-outs are sometimes an everyday occurrence and 12" of snowfall in a day is ho-hum, Japan was going to be a breeze of fair skies every day.
Well, one thing I knew but completely forgot about was Japan's location in the Pacific Ring of Fire and how it is split by two tectonic plates: the North American plate and the Eurasian Plate. This produces volcanoes and earthquakes. Well, I was just reminded of these facts early Tuesday morning when Kevin woke me up out of a sound sleep at around 5am. He asked me what I was doing and if I was OK. Groggy and a little miffed that he woke me up out of a sound sleep, I said that I was fine and I wanted to go back to bed. Apparently he thought I was having a nightmare or seizure because the bed was shaking. Confused, Kevin got up and realized that his friend, who was sleeping on the couch, was also awake. They soon realized that both of them had just been woken up by something and went to check the internet. To my surprise, I had slept through an earthquake.
The Japan Meteorological Agency has a wonderful website that is constantly updating a map of Japan, showing any seismic activity. Apparently the epicenter in Chiba, a good 64km or 34miles away from us, registered a 4 on the Richter scale but was only a 2 when the shock waves reached us. And it caused our bed to sway and I didn't wake up? Now THAT'S scary!
But wait! There's more!
Not only does Japan have earthquakes, it also has a few volcanoes. Now, we're far enough away from volcanoes so that if they erupted, we would be free from lava. Ash, on the other hand, we're in line for (depending on the wind). Well, today while on my way back from the commissary in Kris' (Kevin's friend's wife) car, she pointed out all the dust that had accumulated on her car. It seemed a little odd to me and I asked where it had come from. Well, she then told me that an active volcano north of Yokohama had been spewing ash and we were in the path to get a light dusting. Hardly noticeable on land but on the glass of her windshield and other shiny surfaces, it certainly was in plain sight.
Well, in moving here I seemed to avoid the relentless snow in the winter, but in return I have to contend with volcanoes and earthquakes. Now all I need is a Godzilla sighting and I'll be on the next boat home!
Well, one thing I knew but completely forgot about was Japan's location in the Pacific Ring of Fire and how it is split by two tectonic plates: the North American plate and the Eurasian Plate. This produces volcanoes and earthquakes. Well, I was just reminded of these facts early Tuesday morning when Kevin woke me up out of a sound sleep at around 5am. He asked me what I was doing and if I was OK. Groggy and a little miffed that he woke me up out of a sound sleep, I said that I was fine and I wanted to go back to bed. Apparently he thought I was having a nightmare or seizure because the bed was shaking. Confused, Kevin got up and realized that his friend, who was sleeping on the couch, was also awake. They soon realized that both of them had just been woken up by something and went to check the internet. To my surprise, I had slept through an earthquake.
The Japan Meteorological Agency has a wonderful website that is constantly updating a map of Japan, showing any seismic activity. Apparently the epicenter in Chiba, a good 64km or 34miles away from us, registered a 4 on the Richter scale but was only a 2 when the shock waves reached us. And it caused our bed to sway and I didn't wake up? Now THAT'S scary!
But wait! There's more!
Not only does Japan have earthquakes, it also has a few volcanoes. Now, we're far enough away from volcanoes so that if they erupted, we would be free from lava. Ash, on the other hand, we're in line for (depending on the wind). Well, today while on my way back from the commissary in Kris' (Kevin's friend's wife) car, she pointed out all the dust that had accumulated on her car. It seemed a little odd to me and I asked where it had come from. Well, she then told me that an active volcano north of Yokohama had been spewing ash and we were in the path to get a light dusting. Hardly noticeable on land but on the glass of her windshield and other shiny surfaces, it certainly was in plain sight.
Well, in moving here I seemed to avoid the relentless snow in the winter, but in return I have to contend with volcanoes and earthquakes. Now all I need is a Godzilla sighting and I'll be on the next boat home!