a violent earthquake of magnitude 6.1 occurred off the Japanese island of Hokkaido at 14:48 (local time) on March 28. The earthquake originated in the waters surrounding the east coast of the city of Aomori a depth of about 20 km.
Japan earthquake off the coast of Hokkaido
The details of the earthquake were initially disclosed by theJapan Meteorological Agency and then confirmed, as the minutes passed, by the US Geological Survey and by other agencies located on the various continents.
No tsunami warning has been reported. According to sources reported by the Japanese news agency ‘Kyodo’ any change in the sea surface caused by the earthquake should not be such as to cause damage to property or people.
Second major earthquake in the area
It’s about the second major seismic event happening in the area within a month.
Last February 25th and earthquake of magnitude 6.1 (corresponding to grade ‘lower 5’ in the Japanese intensity scale) occurred in the south of the island of Hokkaido at 22:27 (local time).
At that time the epicenter it was about 52 km northeast of the port city of Kushiro and at a depth of about 30 km.
Japan is one of the most seismic countries in the world. Japan is subject to constant earthquakes since it is located on the so-called ‘Pacific Ring of Fire‘, a large ring-like area in the Pacific Ocean where seismologists estimate 90 percent of all earthquakes occur.
The Pacific Ring of Fire extends from New Zealand, up through the islands of the Southeast Asian archipelago and through Japan, includes the North American West Coast and descends towards Latin America ending in Chile.
12 years since the Fukushima disaster
Last March 11 in Japan were held the commemorations for the Fukushima disaster occurred on March 11, 2011.
Disaster caused by a magnitude 9 earthquake with its epicenter in the Pacific Ocean which devastated the prefectures of Fukushima, Miyagi and Iwate.
The ruinous seismic event caused a tsunami and, consequently, very serious damage to the nuclear reactor of the Fukushima plant. Nearly 200,000 people were evacuated. It’s about one of the worst nuclear disasters in history.
Fonte foto: 123RF