6.6 Magnitude Quake Hits Japan Coast

A 6.6 magnitude earthquake hit Japan's coast Monday night.

A preliminary estimate put the quake's magnitude at 7.1, which was later lowered to 6.6, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. A series of smaller quakes continued to shake the region. Residents in Tokyo also felt the jolts.

A tsunami warning issued by Japan's Meteorological Agency was later canceled.

Monday's initial quake was centered about 101 miles northeast of Tokyo, or about 31 miles southwest of the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.

Workers at the plant were asked to evacuate for a time, but later returned to resume their efforts to cool the troubled nuclear facility.

The latest aftershock came almost exactly one month after the 9.0 magnitude March 11 quake, which caused a tsunami that washed away whole towns and villages along the country's northeast coast.

 

Workers Pumping Radioactive Water Out of Japan Plant

There are more issues at the Fukushima Daichi nuclear power station.

Radiation levels have soared to 10,000 times above the safety limit and water in the area is also contaminated.

Tests done on seawater samples collected Friday morning have shown that the levels of radioactive iodine in the water are 1,250 times higher than normal, informed the nuclear and industrial safety agency. The levels were 50 becquerels of radioactive iodine per cubic centimeters of water. This compares to 4 becquerels, 104 times above normal.

Apple Faces Supply Concerns in Earthquake Aftermath

Electronics manufacturers face a parts shortage as the conditions in Japan continue to worsen.

Apple may face shortages of key parts for its newly released iPad 2, according to research firm IHS iSuppli.  The country of Japan continues to experience power outages, transportation issues, and now a possible nuclear meltdown.

"Should the Japan crisis be prolonged, I expect a shortage of electronic parts in the second quarter," said James Song, an analyst at Daewoo Securities, noting Japan provides 57 percent of the world's wafers, used to make the chips that go into mobiles phones, cameras and other electronic devices.

Japan exported 7.2 trillion yen ($91.3 billion) worth of electronic parts last year, and 2011 was supposed to top that.

Apple isn't alone, Toshiba and many auto makers are holding their collective breathe waiting to see what happens.

How Does a Nuclear Meltdown Occur?

You keep hearing conflicting stories of what is going on in Japan.  With the aftershocks subsiding, the attention now turns to the rescue, clean up and the nuclear plant situation.

After more explosions in at least two reactor cores at Japan's Fukushima nuclear power plant - and as the developing crisis is rated at level 6 of seven levels on the International Nuclear Events Scale - attention is turning to just what is happening inside the 40-year-old power plant in north-east Japan.

Here's a video that helps explain what is happening.

Meltdown Possibly Occurring at Japanese Plant

A meltdown may be occurring at one of the reactors at an earthquake-damaged nuclear power plant in northeast Japan a government official told cable netwok CNN Sunday morning Japan time.

"There is a possibility, we see the possibility of a meltdown," said Toshihiro Bannai, director of the international affairs office of Japan's Nuclear and Industrial Safety, in a telephone interview with CNN from the agency's Tokyo headquarters. "At this point, we have still not confirmed that there is an actual meltdown, but there is a possibility."

Bannai said engineers have been unable to get close enough to the reactor's core to know what's going on, and that he based his conclusion on radioactive cesium and iodine measured in the air near the plant Saturday night.

Plant officials have since injected seawater and boron into the plant in an effort to cool its nuclear fuel.

The Fire and Disaster Management Agency announced Sunday that 15 patients and an ambulance were exposed to radiation at a hospital within seven miles of the plant, Kyodo News Agency reported.

A state of emergency has been declared for the reactor and two of the other five reactors at the same complex, he said, and three are in a safe, shut-down state.

"The other two still have some cooling systems, but not enough capacity," he said.

News of the possible meltdown came as rescue efforts resumed Sunday morning in areas devastated by the magnitude 8.9 quake and subsequent tsunami.