Photo: STR/JIJI PRESS/AFP via Getty
An earthquake struck off the coast of northern Japan on Wednesday night, activating a tsunami warning for the country 11 years after it faced a quake and resulting wave that left thousands dead.
According to theAssociated Press, Wednesday’s 7.3 magnitude quake triggered blackouts affecting over 2 million buildings in the region, andfootageposted to social media showed violentshakingaround the country.
The epicenter of Wednesday’s quake is located 55 miles from the 9.0 earthquake that caused a massive tsunami in 2011,CNNreported.
PHOTO: STR/JIJI PRESS/AFP via GettyPHOTO: STR/JIJI PRESS/AFP via Getty
Reutersreported that the Japan Meteorological Agency issued an advisory across northern Japan for a tsunami as high as three feet. After the quake, the Japan Meteorological Agency kept their tsunami warning level low, while the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said there was no longer a threat, according toAP.
On Twitter, seismologistDr. Lucy Jonessaid Wednesday’s quake could be considered an aftershock of the one that caused the 2011 tsunami.
“Today’s M7.3 is the world’s first [more than 7 magnitude quake] of 2022. Located off the coast of Japan at a depth of ~60km,” she wrote. “I would call it an aftershock to 2011, but some seismologists might disagree. Aftershock is a semantic term to describe [the] relationship between quakes.”
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“An event is an aftershock as long as the rate at which earthquakes are occurring is higher than it was before the mainshock,” she said. “For great earthquakes, this can be decades or more.”
source: people.com
