【】
A magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck off the coast of Fukushima, Japan, early Tuesday morning local time, prompting fears of a dangerous tsunami.
Japanese officials issued a tsunami warning for Fukushima prefecture for waves of up to three meters (10 feet). Residents along Japan's eastern coast were urged to move inland and seek higher ground.
SEE ALSO:New Zealand's earthquake literally cracked the Earth openThe first tsunami waves, measuring 60 centimeters high, reached Fukushima's Onahama port at 6:49 a.m. local time, Japanese media reported.
Sirens blared early Tuesday as newscasters warned residents to evacuate immediately.
Tweet may have been deletedA Japanese news broadcast captures 60-centimeter-high tsunami waves in Fukushima, Japan, Nov. 22, 2016.Credit: NHK World live
In 2011, a magnitude 9.1 earthquake near Fukushima triggered 30-foot waves that killed more than 15,800 people and caused a devastating meltdown at a nuclear power plant in Fukushima.
Tepco, the power plant's operator, said via Twitter that "no abnormalities" were found at the nuclear reactors as of 5:59 a.m. local time.
Tweet may have been deleted
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) initially listed Tuesday's earthquake as magnitude 7.3 before changing it to magnitude 6.9.
Japan is particularly vulnerable to earthquakes because it sits on the Pacific Ocean's Ring of Fire, an arc of seismic faults where about 90 percent of the world's earthquakes happen, according to USGS.
New Zealand, another island nation within the ring, suffered a damaging magnitude 7.8 earthquake earlier this month.
Earthquakes happen when two blocks of earth suddenly "slip" past one another on a fault plane.
A magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck near Fukushima, Japan, on Nov. 22, 2016.Credit: U.S. Geological SurveyThe large-scale displacement of seafloor can trigger very long waves that coalesce into a tsunami. The waves travel outward on the ocean's surface, like ripples in a pond, and can slow down but grow in size as they come ashore.
In Japan on Tuesday, as news of the tsunami threat first rolled in, pet owners shared photos of their rattled cats and dogs, which were apparently spooked by the morning's earthquake.
Tweet may have been deleted
Tweet may have been deleted
UPDATE Nov. 21 8:22 p.m. ET:The tsunami warning was lifted around 10 a.m. Tuesday local time.
Tweet may have been deleted
相关文章
Visualizing July's astounding global temperature records
July set a rare temperature record during a year that is featuring off the charts warmth. The month2024-11-10- 法媒:梅西較大概率缺席歐冠 姆巴佩複出天使解禁_迪馬利亞www.ty42.com 日期:2021-11-02 09:01:00| 評論(已有310736條評論)2024-11-10