Tsunami warnings in effect after major earthquake hits off Japan

[News_Editor]

Tsunami warnings in effect after major earthquake hits off Japan

2010-12-22 01:20:22 GMT+7 (ICT)

TOKYO (BNO NEWS) -- Japan issued a tsunami warning for some of its islands on early Wednesday morning after a powerful earthquake struck off its coast.

The 7.4-magnitude earthquake at 3.19 a.m. local time (1719 GMT Tuesday) was centered about 153 kilometers (95 miles) east of Chichi-shima on the Bonin Islands, located some 1049 kilometers (652 miles) south-southeast of Tokyo. It struck about 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) deep, making it a shallow earthquake, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA).

JMA immediately issued a tsunami warning for the Bonin Islands, which are also known in Japan as the Ogasawara Islands. In addition, tsunami advisories are in effect for the Izu Islands, Shizuoka Prefecture, the Pacific Coast of Aichi Prefecture, the southern part of Mie Prefecture, Wakayama Prefecture, Tokushima Prefecture, Kochi Prefecture, Miyazaki Prefecture, the Tanegashima and Yakushima areas, and the Amami Islands and Tokara Islands.

Authorities in Japan urged residents of Bonin Islands to evacuate to higher grounds or inland until the warning is cancelled, but said any tsunami would have already arrived there within minutes of the earthquake. As of 3.20 a.m. JST, JMA said it recorded a 'slight' tsunami of about 0.3 meter (11.8 inches).

On other islands and regions of Japan, where a tsunami advisory is in effect, JMA said there could be sea level changes of up to 0.5 meter (19.6 inches) between 3 a.m. and 4.10 a.m. JST.

-- © BNO News All rights reserved 2010-12-22

[george]

BNO News: Tsunami warning still in effect - even though the threat appears to have passed by now

[george]

After shock: 5.6 - BONIN ISLANDS, JAPAN REGION: Date: Tue, 21 Dec 2010 17:40:47 UTCLat/Lon: 27.0178/143.214 Depth: 10

http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/shakemap/global/shake/c0000ryc/

[george]

BNO News:

Several more mini-tsunamis of 0.1 meter recorded. Japan says "the tsunamis can become higher from now on."

[george]

Tsunami Information Bulletin: TSUNAMI BULLETIN NUMBER 001 PACIFIC TSUNAMI WARNING CENTER/NOAA/NWS ISSUED AT 173...

http://www.prh.noaa.gov/ptwc/?region=1&id=pacific.2010.12.21.173046&utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

[george]

BNO NEWS: JAPAN CANCELS TSUNAMI WARNING FOLLOWING POWERFUL QUAKE