Fukushima reactor cores (1,2, & 3) may have had “Melt Through to China Syndrome” and went into the earth itself — Includes over 1,500 pounds of plutonium

[...] It is becoming apparent that the three molten cores, each weighing 120 to 130 tons have not only melted their way through 6 inches of steel in the reactor vessels, but they now either sit on concrete floors of the severely cracked containment buildings or they have melted their way into the earth itself – this, in nuclear parlance, is called ‘A Melt Through to China Syndrome’.
[...] Each reactor core contains 500lbs of plutonium, but Reactor 3 contains even more, because it also contained plutonium/uranium fuel rods which were placed inside the core as an experiment.
[...] The whole reactor site sits on sodden ground, which has now become unstable, muddy and possibly liquefied. The site itself experiences many minor earthquakes each day, but should a quake greater than 6 or 7 on the Richter scale occur, it is likely that one or several of the buildings could collapse with absolutely disastrous consequences. [...]

http://enenews.com/fukushima-reactor-cores-melt-china-syndrome-gone-earth-1500-pounds-plutonium

Scientist back from Japan: Melt-through of Fukushima containment vessels being discussed — They can’t locate any of the 3 molten reactor cores — “It’s bad, it’s definitely not over”

Cape Cod Times, Nov. 24, 2013: [Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Senior Scientist Ken] Buesseler, along with a team from WHOI, made the first of his three visits to the Fukushima area in June 2011 [...] the Japanese are not able to locate three molten reactor cores. There is ongoing discussion of whether the cores have undergone a meltdown or a melt-through of the containment vessels, Buesseler said. “You can’t send humans in there. It takes decades to come up with a plan,” he said. “It’s bad. It’s definitely not over yet.”
Asia Times, Nov. 18, 2013: At least some of the reactor cores are believed to have melted through the containment vessels, and possibly into the ground, contaminating groundwater with unprecedented levels of hot particles.
Kyodo, Nov. 20, 2013: The Nos. 5 and 6 reactors [...] will not actually be dismantled and instead will be used as a research facility to develop technologies for achieving the unprecedented task of removing melted fuel from the Nos. 1 to 3 crippled reactors [...]
NPR, Nov. 18, 2013: [...] And then there are the three reactors that melted down, which will pose an even greater challenge. “They have fuel not just in the pools above the reactors, but in the cores themselves. That fuel is melted down and it’s going to take a very, very long time to even figure out how to get that fuel out,” [NPR's Geoff Brumfiel] says.
More from Buesseler: NHK: There was a melt-through so Fukushima fuel is definitely down with the groundwater, and that's flowing into Pacific -- Americans need to watch, it gets international very quickly -- May already be at West Coast -- No 'immediate' risk (VIDEO)

http://enenews.com/scientist-back-from-japan-they-cant-locate-any-of-the-molten-reactor-cores-melt-through-of-containment-vessels-being-discussed-its-bad-its-definitely-not-over-yet-at-fukushima