Massive Earthquake Strikes Japan, Triggering Tsunami Warning

A 7.5 magnitude earthquake struck Japan yesterday, triggering tsunami warnings across the northern part of the country and forcing evacuations.

The quake struck late at night, around 11:15 pm local time, at a depth of 33 miles, with an epicenter around 44 miles away from the Japanese coastline. The earthquake's depth and distance from Japan likely mitigated its impacts, but shaking was still felt as far as Tokyo– over 400 miles away.

Soon after, a tsunami warning was issued along the northeastern coast of Japan, across the prefectures of Hokkaido, Aomori, and Iwate, which were closest to the epicenter. Over 114,000 people were evacuated from the region out of fear of a powerful tsunami, but the resulting tsunamis were relatively mild– the largest recorded wave was around 2.3 feet in Iwate prefecture.

Nevertheless, at least 30 people were injured during the quake, which collapsed structures and knocked out electricity for many. Highways and railroads were also damaged, leading to the shutdowns of roads and train services.

Nuclear power plants have confirmed that they have experienced minimal damage– a statement that brings sighs of relief to Japanese citizens after each quake.

Back in 2011, the massive 9.0 magnitude Tōhoku earthquake, which was Japan's strongest earthquake in history, led to a huge tsunami after the land in a subduction zone was lifted during the shaking. The resulting tsunami, which reached over 133 feet high, devastated the Fukushima nuclear reactor, leading to reactor meltdowns and the spread of radioactive contamination across the city. Cleanup efforts are still going, but authorities are slowly making progress to make the area livable once again.

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Image credit to Reuters