Sunday, January 1, 2012

Japan struck by magnitude 6.8 earthquake

Strong earthquake strikes off Japan's Izu islands but no immediate reports of damage and no tsunami warning issued

A strong earthquake has jolted eastern and northeastern Japan, but there are no immediate reports of injuries or damages and no tsunami warning has been issued.

The earthquake - of magnitude of 6.8 - measured 4 in central Tokyo, Fukushima and their surrounding areas on the Japanese intensity scale, which measures ground motion, according to Japan Meteorological Agency.

A spokesman for Tokyo Electric Power said there were no reports of any abnormalities at the tsunami-crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plan following the quake.

Some high-speed train services in northern Japan were suspended after the earthquake, but soon resumed operations, Kyodo news reported.

The magnitude 6.8 earthquake, at a depth of nearly 217 miles, was recorded south-southwest of Hachijo-jima off Japan's southeastern Izu islands on Sunday at 5.27am GMT, the US Geological Survey reported.

The Hawaii-based US Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre has not issued a tsunami.

Earthquakes are common in Japan, one of the world's most seismically active areas. The country accounts for about 20% of the world's earthquakes of magnitude 6 or greater.

On 11 March 2011, the northeast coast was struck by a magnitude 9 earthquake, the strongest quake in Japan on record, and a massive tsunami, which triggered the world's worst nuclear crisis in 25 years since Chernobyl.

The disaster left up to 23,000 dead or missing.


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Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/jan/01/japan-earthquake-magnitude-7

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