A 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck off the northeastern coast of Japan on the 20th of April, and officials have warned of an increased risk of another major earthquake in the coming week, the BBC reports.
A tsunami warning of up to three metres was issued on the 20th of April after the quake, and thousands of people in Iwate prefecture were urged to evacuate to higher ground. However, the highest tsunami waves reached only 80 centimetres, and the warning was lifted a few hours after the quake. However, the Japan Meteorological Agency has warned that significant aftershocks are possible in the coming week, which could trigger larger waves. Authorities have said there is a relatively high risk of an earthquake measuring eight or more on the Richter scale.
Japanese people still remember the 2011 earthquake that triggered a tsunami that killed more than 18,000 people and led to the Fukushima nuclear power plant meltdown.
On the 20th of April,
the epicenter of the earthquake was underwater, about ten kilometers deep,
but tremors could be felt as far away as Tokyo. More than 170,000 residents in several prefectures on Japan’s east coast were ordered to evacuate. The Japan Meteorological Agency said tsunami waves could occur again, and residents were urged to stay in safer places until the warning was lifted.
Japan’s location on the so-called Ring of Fire, the world’s most seismically active region, means it experiences about 1,500 earthquakes a year, and about 10% of the world’s earthquakes measuring six or more on the Richter scale. In March 2011, a magnitude 9 earthquake struck off the coast of southern Iwate Prefecture, making it the most powerful earthquake ever recorded.
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