*** BREAKING *** Fukushima: “Far From Any Stable Shutdown”

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(Regarding China Syndrome)

Magmas and lavas don't sink, especially into solid country rocks that heat extremely slowly (because they have very low/slow thermal conductivity ... contiguous rock simply does not heat up quickly enough ... it takes thousands to millions of years to heat and melt a cubic km of solid rock via thermal conduction ... mostly they just go through a solid-state metamorhism and deform with a recrystalization of their bulk chemistry into new mineral types and rock micro-fabric).

Instead, a 'melt' ALWAYS moves NET upwards (especially when excess liquid or gaseous water and salts are involved) and/or laterally in structural weaknesses (rock joints, cracks, faults) towards the point of lowest pressure, and that's toward the interface with the atmosphere and hydrosphere (into the soil, not into rock).

To go downward into rock the pressure and temp (and also containment) must INCREASE - and very dramatically.

And it certainly won't do that, as steam eruptions will release pressure, and some heat, so it will pool at or just below the surface, with next to zero extra pressure or confinement. That means almost everything goes into the air and water, over time.

That's the problem with this whole naive 'China Syndrome' mythology, very few people will actually listen to a geologist explain what real, and persistently hot magma, and brine, and rock, and soil will do when they interact long-term ... then add in the self-heating and self-mixing aspects ... and the rainfall.

That's the key to what will happen. So if you want to get a good overview of what is most likely to happen here, the best people to speak to are geochemists, with a strong background in igneous petrology, and a lot of practical fieldwork experience.