Reply #320: I hope we don't find out

[divvy]

If the fuel pool(s) were empty, the melting clad would generate a lot of hydrogen... and there would be a lot of damage. Some of the rods in bundles could have exploded (due to high temps expanding trapped gasses in the rods). Oh yes, this material would be very very radioactive. What will happen if a core melts into the ground and reaches ground water? I don't know. Could steam cause an explosion? Maybe... maybe the water would just cool the fuel. I don't know... I hope we don't find out. By the way, the Japanese evacuation zone is proving to be inadequate. They need to move non-essential people further away from the site.