7.1 Magnitude Earthquake Rocks Northern Japan

A powerful earthquake struck off the eastern coast of Japan on late Sunday morning, seismologists said, prompting tsunami advisories for local coastlines.

The 7.1-magnitude earthquake at 10.57 a.m. local time (0057 GMT) was centered about 212 kilometers (131 miles) east of Sendai, the capital city of Miyagi Prefecture. It struck about 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) deep, making it a shallow earthquake, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA).

The Japanese government immediately issued tsunami advisories for the coasts of Iwate Prefecture, Miyagi Prefecture, and Fukushima Prefecture. It said a tsunami could have a height up to 0.5 meters and this could cause serious damage to the area.