A significant earthquake, preliminarily measured at a magnitude of 7.7, struck off Japan’s northern coast on Monday. The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) reported that the quake occurred around 4:53 p.m. local time, at a depth of approximately 11 miles near Sanriku.
Officials from the Cabinet Office and the JMA mentioned a 1% chance of experiencing a major earthquake in the vicinity of the Kuril and Japan Trench within the upcoming week.
Following the earthquake, a tsunami measuring 2.6 feet was registered at Kuji Port in Iwate Prefecture, while another port in the same region recorded a smaller wave of 1.3 feet. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center indicated that the threat of a tsunami has now subsided.
Fortunately, the Nuclear Regulation Authority confirmed that no issues were detected at nearby nuclear power plants.
In a historical context, a devastating magnitude 9.0 earthquake and tsunami in 2011 resulted in over 22,000 fatalities and forced nearly 500,000 people to evacuate due to tsunami-related destruction.
