Japan observes tiny tsunami following 6.9-magnitude quake
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The original quake was followed by aftershocks of between magnitudes 5.3 and 6.3, the JMA said.
PHOTO: SCREENGRAB FROM USGS
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TOKYO – Tiny tsunami waves hit Japan’s northern Pacific coast on Nov 9 following an offshore 6.9-magnitude earthquake.
The first tsunami hit Miyako city, in northern Iwate prefecture, at 5.37pm (4.37pm, Singapore time), but it was so small that the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) said it could not measure its size.
Later, ports in the cities of Kuji and Ofunato, located in the same region, saw waves as high as 20cm, while smaller waves reached other ports in Iwate, the meteorological agency said.
The quake struck at around 5.03pm (4.03pm, Singapore time) in the waters off Iwate, according to the Japanese agency that initially estimated its strength at magnitude 6.7 but later revised it to 6.9.
The US Geological Survey measured the quake as magnitude 6.8.
The Japan Meteorological Agency issued an advisory for a possible tsunami before lifting it shortly after 8pm.
The original quake was followed by aftershocks of between magnitudes 5.3 and 6.3, the JMA said.
Six other offshore quakes hit the same region earlier on Nov 9, but were barely felt on land and did not prompt tsunami advisories.
The area may see stronger quakes, particularly in the next several days, warned Mr Masashi Kiyomoto, an earthquake and tsunami official at the meteorological agency.
“This is an area that has seen a series of seismic activities. It is possible that larger earthquakes will occur,” he told a televised briefing.
There were no abnormalities at the Onagawa nuclear power plant operated by Tohoku Electric Power.
Live television feeds on Japanese television showed calm seas.
Japan’s northern region is haunted by the memory of a massive 9-magnitude undersea quake in 2011, which triggered a tsunami that left around 18,500 people dead or missing.
The tsunami also sent three reactors into meltdown at the Fukushima nuclear plant
Japan sits on top of four major tectonic plates along the western edge of the Pacific “Ring of Fire” and is one of the world’s most tectonically active countries.
The archipelago, home to around 125 million people, experiences around 1,500 jolts every year.
The vast majority are mild, although the damage they cause varies according to their location and depth below the Earth’s surface. REUTERS, AFP
