Off East Coast of Honshu, Japan - December 20, 2008 |
| 6.5 Magnitude |
Hokkaido Earthquake, Japan - September 11, 2008 |
| 6.9 Magnitude |
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Eastern Honshu Japan - 23rd July 08 |
| 6.8 Magnitude |
| In a gap of 40 days, another earthquake hit eastern Honshu in Japan. According to USGS, the earthquake on 23rd July had its epicenter at 39.795N and 141.426E. The quake that had hit this region on June 13 this year measured 6.9 on the Richter scale, whereas the current tremor has a magnitude of 6.8 Mw. No casualty has been reported; since the epicenter was well into the sea, the quake did not affect the buildings on land. |
Honshu Earthquake, Japan - July 19, 2008 |
| 7.0 Magnitude |
| The largest island of Japan, Honshu, also called the Mainland, houses several cities of the country including Tokyo and Yokohama. Earthquakes are frequent in this region; a quake of magnitude 6.6 hit near the west coast of Honshu on July 16, 2007. The earthquake that struck the region on 19th July 2008 had a magnitude of 7.0 Mw and had 37.627N 142.110E as the epicenter. |
Japan Earthquake - Des 23, 2004 |
| 6.8 Magnitude |
Japan Earthquake -17 July 2007 |
| 6.8 Magnitude |
| An earthquake of the magnitude of 6.8 on the Richter scale struck Japan on 16 July 2007 killing seven people in the city of Kashiwazaki and damaging a large nuclear reactor. The damage to the reactor, one of the largest in the world, caused a leak that released a small amount of water containing radioactive materials into the sea. The quake also left hundreds injured and caused widespread devastation in Niigata Prefecture. |
The powerful tsunami waves that hit the coast of Japan today have caused alarm in many other countries also. Untold destruction happened in Japan, and a similar situation is feared in other places. The waves washed away buildings, bridges and all other types of infrastructure that stood in their way. The death toll is also increasing steadily, with about 50 deaths being reported and about 35 confirmed. Shortly after the tsunami hit Japan, various agencies issued tsunami alerts for the following countries:
Russia, Taiwan, the Philippines, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Panama, Honduras, Chile, Ecuador, Colombia and Peru.
A state of panic has already gripped the whole world, and may of these countries have started moving people away from the coastal areas.
From time to time, various earthquakes have rocked Japan and resulted in disruption of everyday life. The map shows those occurring in the last century.
