Japan Braces for More Aftershocks

JAPAN faces a '70 per cent' possibility of a magnitude-7 aftershock following the massive earthquake that struck its north-east coast, a government official said Sunday.

'There is a 70 per cent possibility that an aftershock with a magnitude of seven or more will occur' within the next three days, said Takashi Yokota, director of earthquake prediction and information at the Japan Meteorological Agency.

'The possibility is 50 per cent' during the three days from March 16, he added, pointing out that strong aftershocks have continued since Friday's quake and tsunami.

A magnitude 7 quake is capable of destroying buildings and triggering more  tsunamis.

Tsunami Waves Hit California Marinas and Harbors

A California town that suffered terrible damage and loss of life in a 1964 tsunami was again struck by disaster today, as a tsunami triggered by the massive earthquake in Japan caused millions of dollars of damage to the town's harbor.

The tide began rising shortly after 7:30 a.m. along beaches in Crescent City, a fishing town of about 7,000 near the Oregon border. The highest wave was measured at 8.1 feet, reports CBS Affiliate KTVL.

"There has been major damage to our harbor," Crescent City Councilman Richard Enea told CBS News. "At least 35 boats by count so far have been damaged or destroyed by the surges and the tsunamis. Our docks have been destroyed."

The above video shows the water from the Pacific Ocean tsunami rushing into a cree in Marina del Rey, CA.

Tsunami Warning in Affect for 20 Countries

The threat of a tsunami prompted the U.S. National Weather Service to issue a warning for at least 20 countries and numerous Pacific islands after an 8.9-magnitude earthquake struck Japan Friday.

The wide-ranging list includes Russia and Indonesia, Central American countries like Guatemala, El Salvador and Costa Rica and the U.S. state of Hawaii. The weather service's bulletin is intended "as advice to government agencies."

The strongest quake in Japan in at least a century struck at 2:46 p.m. local time 81 miles off the coast of Sendai, north of Tokyo. Buildings shook in the capital, and television footage showed a wave of water as high as 10 meters engulfing farmhouses and roads along the coast. Fires broke out in an oil plant and buildings in Tokyo.

Waves traveling as fast as 800 kilometers an hour may be radiating from the epicenter, sparking warnings in countries that lie in their path. The quake is the strongest since a 9.1 magnitude earthquae off North Sumatra in Indonesia in December 2004 left about 220,000 people dead or missing in 12 countries around the Indian Ocean.

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies warned that the tsunami is currently higher than some Pacific islands which it could wash over.

Hawaii is possibly in the path of a tsunami.  The tsunami warning issued late on Thursday for Hawaii prompted civil defense officials to order all Hawaiian coastal areas evacuated. The warning said that all islands in the Hawaiian chain were in the path of potential damage from a tsunami generated by the quake.



7.2 Magnitude Earthquake Hits Japan

An earthquake of 7.2 magnitude has struck off the coast of Japan, shaking buildings in the capital, Tokyo.

The tremor was centred 160 km (100 miles) east of the country's main Honshu island.

A tsunami alert for waves of up to 50 cm was issued for northeast Japan, after the quake hit at 0245 GMT.

Also of note, Tohoku Electric Power said its Onagawa nuclear plant was operating normally after the quake. Tokyo Electric Power also said there was no impact on its power plants in the region.  20% of the world's earthquakes of greater than 6.2 magnitude occur in this region.

Strong Earthquake Strikes Near Japanese Islands

A strong 6.6 magnitude quake struck off Japan's southern Bonin Islands on Tuesday, the US Geological Survey said, with tremors felt more than 500 miles away in Tokyo, but no tsunami was expected.

The quake hit at 12.24 pm local time, 337 kilometres (210 miles) west northwest of Chichi-shima in Japan's remote Bonin island region at a depth of 478 kilometres. There were no immediate reports of damage or injury.

The USGS originally said the quake was magnitude 6.9, but later revised its figure down to a 6.6.

Japan's meteorological agency also said the focus was off the west coast of the same chain of islands in the Pacific, known in Japan as the Ogasawara islands, 808 kilometres south of Tokyo.

Even so, the quake swayed buildings in the capital.

Around 20 percent of the world's most powerful earthquakes strike Japan, which sits on the "Ring of Fire" surrounding the Pacific Ocean.  No Tsunami warnings have been issued.