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Quake so powerful, it shifted Earth's axis Latest threat: Nuclear meltdown Associated Press By ERYN BROWN Los Angeles Times its epicenter was near a major city. "The Japanese have the best seismic information in the world," said Lucy Jones, chief scientist for the Multi-Hazards project at the U.S. Geological Survey, at a Saturday news conference at Caltech in Pasadena. "This is overwhelmingly the best-recordedgreat earthquake ever." Already, slightly more than 36 hours after the quake, data-crunchers had determined that the temblor's force moved parts of eastern Japan as much as 12 feet closer to North America, scientists said and that Japan has shifted downward about two feet. LOS ANGELES Friday's magnitude 8.9 earthquake in Japan shifted Earth on its axis and shortened the length of a day by a hair.

In the future, scientists said, it will provide an unusually precise view of how Earth is deformed during massive earthquakes at sites where one plate is sliding under another, including the U.S. Pacific Northwest. The unusually rich detail comes from an extensive network of sensors that were placed at sites across Japan after that country's Kobe earthquake of 1995, a magnitude 6.8 quake that killed more than 6,000 people because Associated Press The Yomiuri Shimbun, DAISUKE TOMITA A boy is checked for radiation levels near the Fukushima Dai-ichi power plant in northeastern Japan yesterday. See SHIFT Page 28 if- 3s 1 I I I 1 1 1 1 1 man from Japan's nuclear agency. It was unclear whether any cases of exposure had reached dangerous levels.

Officials have declared states of emergency at the six reactors where cooling systems were down three at Dai-ichi and three at the nearby Fukushima Daini complex. The U.N. nuclear agency said a state of emergency was also declared yesterday at another complex, the Onagawa power plant, after higher-than-per-mitted levels of radiation were measured there. It was not immediately known how serious the explosion was. A complete meltdown the melting of the radioactive core could release uranium and dangerous contaminants into the environment and pose major, widespread health risks.

quake," said Kenji Koshiba, a construction worker who lives near the plant. "Now I'm worried about radiation." He spoke at an emergency center in Koriyama, about 40 miles from the most troubled reactors and 125 miles north of Tokyo. At the makeshift center set up in a gym, a steady flow of people mostly the elderly, schoolchildren and families with babies were met by officials wearing helmets, surgical masks and goggles. About 1,500 people had been scanned for radiation exposure, officials said. Up to 160 people, including 60 elderly patients and medical staff who had been waiting for evacuation in the nearby town of Futabe, and 100 others evacuating by bus, might have been exposed to radiation, said Ryo Miyake, a spokes KORIYAMA, Japan Authorities had feared that the nuclear reactor that exploded today in northeastern Japan would soon occur, but they were hoping against hope that they could prevent it from happening.

The explosion occurred at the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear complex, where an explosion occurred Saturday The plant was one of four in northeastern Japan that had reported damage from Friday's earthquake and tsunami, but the danger appeared to be greatest Fukushima Dai-ichi. Operators had lost the ability to cool three reactors at Dai-ichi and three more at another nearby complex by using usual procedures, after the quake knocked out power and the tsunami swamped backup generators. "At the risk of raising further public concern, we cannot rule out the possibility of an explosion," Edano said. "If there is an explosion, however, there would be no significant impact on human health." Operators have been dumping seawater into units 1 and 3 in a desperate effort to cool the reactors. They were getting water into the four other reactors with cooling problems without resorting to corrosive sea water, which likely makes the reactors unusable.

Edano said residents within about 12 miles of the Dai-ichi plant were ordered to evacuate as a precaution, and the radioactivity released into the environment so far was so small it didn't pose any health threats. Such statements, though, did little to ease public worries. "First I was worried about the Asociated Press The Yumiuri Shimbun A couple eye the rubble yesterday in Onagawa, in northern Japan. Survivors of '04 tsunami shaken by images of disaster in Japan By FAKHRURRADZIE GADE Associated Press The magnitude 9.0 earthquake that struck on the morning of Dec. 26, 2004, spawned a tsunami that smashed into coastal communities, beach resorts and towns in 12 nations, killing more than 230,000 daughter was ripped from her arms by the heavy salty sea.

Survivors of the 2004 tsunami that started in Indonesia sat glued to their TV sets, stroking each other's hands, as images of Friday's disaster in northern Japan flashed repeatedly across the screen. "I heard someone screaming and ran to see what was going on," said Mucharam, who also lost her husband and two other daughters. "I tried, but couldn't stop watching," the 38-year-old said, her voice trembling. "It was exactly the same, except they have this horrible footage, events unfolding right before your eyes." BANDA ACEH, Indonesia Tears streamed down Maisara Mucharam's face as she watched aerial shots of the tsunami pummeling Japan's coast and remembered the day, six years ago, when her youngest See INDONESIA Page 28 PHILADELPHIA DAILY NEWS PAGE 9F MONDAY, MARCH 14, 2011.