7.3 Magnitude Earthquake Rocks Northeastern Japan

A strong earthquake with a magnitude of 7.3 hit Japan's northeastern coast on Sunday, prompting a brief tsunami warning for the area still recovering from a devastating quake and killer wave four months ago.

An earthquake with a magnitude of 7.3 hit the north-eastern coast of Japan today, briefly triggering a tsunami warning for the area still recovering from the devastating quake and killer wave four months ago.

The tremor, which hit at 9:57 a.m. local time, caused more concern than problems. No major injuries or damages have been reported. The residents of coastal areas were evacuated for about two hours after the earthquake, but the tsunami warning has since been lifted.

The earthquake's epicenter was off the coast of Japan's main island, Honshu, in the Pacific Ocean.

There is no tsunami danger for the United States' West Coast or Hawaii, according to officials, and the Japanese nuclear power plant in the region was not affected.

On March 11, the northeastern coast of Japan was hit by a 9.0 earthquake -- the strongest in Japanese history -- and a tsunami that devastated the region, triggered a nuclear crisis at the Fukushima power plant and left nearly 23,000 people dead or missing.

Since then, dozens of strong aftershocks have rattled the region, including a 5.6 quake in the Pacific off Honshu on Thursday, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

The area still has a long way to go toward recovery. Because seawalls were destroyed in the March 11 disaster and many of the buildings are still structurally weak, even smaller-scale earthquakes can do damage, but for now, the Japanese are in the clear.


Source: ABC News

Earthquake Safety Tips

Here you can see the very important Earthquake Safety Tips:

Before the Disaster

• Check for hazards in the home

• Identify safe places in each room

• Locate safe places outdoors

• Ensure all family members know how to respond after an earthquake

• Teach children when and how to call 9-1-1

• Have disaster supplies on

• Develop an emergency communications plan in case of separation during the earthquake

• Ask an out-of-state relative or friend to serve as the family contact

During the Disaster

• If indoors: Take cover under a piece of heavy furniture or against an inside wall and stay inside

• If outdoors: Move into the open, away from buildings, street lights, and utility wires and remain there until shaking stops

• If in a moving vehicle: Stop quickly, stay in vehicle, move to a clear area away from buildings, trees, overpasses, or utility wires

After the Disaster

• Be prepared for after shocks

• Help injured or trapped persons and give first aid where appropriate

• Listen to a battery operated radio for emergency information

• Stay out of damaged buildings and return home only when authorities say it is safe

Source: ProQuest

Facts about Earthquakes

Earthquakes, also called temblors, can be so tremendously destructive, it’s hard to imagine they occur by the thousands every day around the world, usually in the form of small tremors.

Some 80 percent of all the planet's earthquakes occur along the rim of the Pacific Ocean, called the "Ring of Fire" because of the preponderance of volcanic activity there as well. Most earthquakes occur at fault zones, where tectonic plates—giant rock slabs that make up the Earth's upper layer—collide or slide against each other. These impacts are usually gradual and unnoticeable on the surface; however, immense stress can build up between plates. When this stress is released quickly, it sends massive vibrations, called seismic waves, often hundreds of miles through the rock and up to the surface. Other quakes can occur far from faults zones when plates are stretched or squeezed.

Scientists assign a magnitude rating to earthquakes based on the strength and duration of their seismic waves. A quake measuring 3 to 5 is considered minor or light; 5 to 7 is moderate to strong; 7 to 8 is major; and 8 or more is great.

On average, a magnitude 8 quake strikes somewhere every year and some 10,000 people die in earthquakes annually. Collapsing buildings claim by far the majority of lives, but the destruction is often compounded by mud slides, fires, floods, or tsunamis. Smaller temblors that usually occur in the days following a large earthquake can complicate rescue efforts and cause further death and destruction.

Loss of life can be avoided through emergency planning, education, and the construction of buildings that sway rather than break under the stress of an earthquake.

Source: National Geographic