On Sunday, a significant earthquake occurred off northeastern Japan, leading the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) to issue tsunami advisories for multiple coastal areas.
According to the Japanese news agency Kyodo, there were no immediate reports of injuries or damage.
The U.S. Geological Survey noted that the quake hit at 10:57 a.m. at its epicenter, situated approximately 130 miles east of Sendai.
With a depth exceeding 20 miles, the earthquake registered a magnitude of 7.0, as reported by the USGS.
Meanwhile, the JMA recorded the earthquake’s magnitude at 7.1.
The JMA announced tsunami advisories for the coastal areas of Iwate, Miyagi, and Fukushima.
These regions were some of the most severely impacted by this year’s catastrophic earthquake and tsunami.
In the city of Ofunato, located in Iwate, officials have recommended that residents evacuate.
The JMA predicts that the tsunami’s height may reach up to half a meter.
Kyodo stated that no immediate irregularities were detected at the nearby nuclear facilities.
Following the earthquake and tsunami that struck northern Japan on March 11, three reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant experienced meltdowns. The severe tsunami inundated the plant and incapacitated the cooling systems crucial for preventing overheating of the three operational reactors, resulting in the most significant nuclear accident since Chernobyl.
The tremors from Sunday’s earthquake were felt as far away as Tokyo.
Dale Grant, a geophysicist with the USGS, commented, “It’s just a continuation of the aftershocks from that devastating 9.0,” referencing the March quake. “These types of aftershocks are expected to continue for some time.”
by Sasha Dubronitz