An unexplained carpet of foamy bubbles filled streets in the centre of the southern Japanese city of Fukuoka in the early hours of Saturday morning – shortly after tremors from a devastating earthquake of magnitude 7.3 shook the town.
Twitter users posted pictures of the mysterious foam, with one calling it “disgusting”.
“I saw it just after the earthquake,” said Kazuki Nabeta, who lives in the busy central district of Tenjin, where the bubbles were found.
地震で地下から泡は出るわ(福岡天神)
ラウンドワン上のピンは落ちてくるわ
コンビニの中はグッチャグチャになるわ
大変やな……地震ってあんまり経験してないから気おつけとこ、皆さんもお気をつけて pic.twitter.com/5lQNuyK0Sd— ロキア (@R0KlA) April 15, 2016
Some have speculated that the earthquake may have caused an underground pipe to burst.
“People were posting pictures on Twitter and it was near my house, so I went out to have a look,” said Mr Nabeta.
“There was a fire engine there. There wasn’t anything special about it – it was normal foam.”
天神が謎の泡、、？ pic.twitter.com/H4YP8KFcWp
— TAKAFUMI (@The_takafumi) April 15, 2016
Fukuoka is 90km away from Kumamoto, where the strongest tremors were felt.
Residents of Fukuoka reported strong shaking but little damage from the two quakes, which took place on Friday and Saturday.
福岡の天神どうしたん
泡だらけやん pic.twitter.com/JE2QKxayBT— はるぴよ⑅⃝ (@_xPIYOx_) April 15, 2016
At least 29 people have been killed by the earthquakes, which injured more than 1,500 and left many more homeless.
A spokesperson at the Fukuoka town hall said they did not know anything about the bubbles, which remain a mystery…Read More at The Independent
Replies
by whipping an egg until it is fluffy. The organic compounds in the egg cling to each other, trapping air into bubbles in the omelet. What is the substance under Fukuoka that is similar to egg in an omelet? Rain regularly washes the streets, cleaning them of anything that has been spilled.
Sewers under most older cities combine sewage and rainwater in many places, so that organic compounds can accumulate in the pipes below the city, open to the streets above. Rainwater washing the streets can also include urine from those who have relieved themselves. Public toilets are available in Japan, but not everyone waits patiently. Thus organic compounds are attacked by bacteria and yeast and other natural processes, creating slime which can whip into foam. Such foam appears along sea shores, and has appeared inland due to runoff from manure
Yuk.