Japan Quake Hyperobject

This is an image from NOAA (the atmospheric and oceanic administration) of the energy released by the Japanese earthquakes, entities that I find truly horrifying.

I live considerably inland from San Francisco but only just outside the earthquake zone. My water heater is secured by metal belts as is the custom here. There was a small earthquake here before I showed up and one colleague noticed a book of his dropping to the bedroom floor from a shelf. But nothing like the 6, 8 and then almost 9 magnitude quakes that have been rocking Japan.

The NOAA image shows the massive distribution of earthquake effects across the Pacific. The things we can't see directly can be more real than the ones we can.