Japan earthquake: Enormous 7-magnitude tremor slams region as tsunami warning issued

A tsunami warning has been issued for Japan after a massive 7.1 magnitude earthquake rocked the region.

Authorities in Japan have now told that there is a risk of a rising sea level of one metre on the Pacific coast of the western islands of Kyushu and Shikoku . The 7.1 magnitude earthquake occurred today at 4:42 pm local time near Miyazaki, Japan, reported by the United States Geological Survey.

The Japan Meteorological Agency has also recorded the magnitude as 7.1 with the epicentre at Hyuganada Sea. "According to preliminary data, the quake was located at a very shallow depth of 8.8 km. Shallow earthquakes are felt more strongly than deeper ones as they are closer to the surface" states volcanicdiscovery.com.

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"The exact magnitude, epicenter, and depth of the quake might be revised within the next few hours or minutes as seismologists review data and refine their calculations, or as other agencies issue their report. Based on the preliminary seismic data, the quake should have been felt by everybody in the area of the epicenter. In those areas, dangerous ground shaking occurred with the potential to inflict moderate to heavy damage to buildings and other infrastructure."

Shaking has been felt in towns and cities on Japan closest to the epicentre. Towns or cities where the quake likely caused strong ground shaking including Kirishima, 68 kilometres away and Kanoya 72 kilometres from the epicentre.

A strong earthquake that struck southwestern Japan left nine people with minor injuries and caused damage such as burst water pipes and small landslides in April but there was no danger of a tsunami on that occasion. The magnitude 6.6 temblor was centered just off the western coast of the southwestern main island of Shikoku, in an area called the Bungo Channel, a strait separating Shikoku and the southern main island of Kyushu on April 18.

There was also an earthquake on June 3 that struck Japan’s north-central region of Ishikawa, still recovering from the destruction left by a powerful quake on January 1, but the latest shaking caused no major damage. A magnitude 5.9 tremor on the northern top of the Noto Peninsula was followed minutes later by a 4.8 and then several smaller quakes within the next two hours, the Japan Meteorological Agency said.

As part of the Pacific “ring of fire,” Japan is one of the world ’s most earthquake-prone areas. A magnitude 9.0 earthquake and subsequent tsunami in March 2011 devastated large areas along Japan’s northeastern coast, killing nearly 20,000 people and triggering the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear meltdowns. On Jan. 1, a magnitude 7.6 quake struck the north-central region of Noto and left 241 people dead.