Strong quake shakes northeastern Japan, no damage reported

Strong quake shakes northeastern Japan, no damage reported

2011-03-31 14:58:36 GMT+7 (ICT)

TOKYO (BNO NEWS) -- A strong earthquake shook northeastern Japan on late Thursday afternoon, seismologists said, but there were no immediate reports of damage or casualties.

The 6.0-magnitude earthquake at 4.15 p.m. local time (0715 GMT) was centered about 114 kilometers (71 miles) southeast of Morioka, the capital city of Iwate prefecture. It struck about 40 kilometers (24.8 miles) deep, making it a shallow earthquake, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA).

JMA reported that moderate shaking was observed in some areas of northeastern Japan, while other regions perceived light shaking. "This earthquake poses no tsunami risk," JMA said in a statement. There were no immediate reports of damage.

The United States Geological Survey (USGS) measured the strength of the earthquake at 6.2 on the Richter scale, considerably stronger than Japan's estimate. The USGS estimated that some 43,000 people may have perceived strong shaking.

Parts of northeastern Japan were devastated by an enormous 9.0-magnitude earthquake off its coast earlier this month, generating a large tsunami that struck nearby coastlines. More than 20,000 people are feared to have been killed.

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