see significant subsequent Kuril Isl. shakes
Mag. 8.3 "Bell Ringer" Slams Northern Japan, Small Tsunami Followed
Forecast on Stan's Earthquake map Nov. 3 (click the date)
see significant subsequent Kuril Isl. shakes
Mag. 8.3 "Bell Ringer" Slams Northern Japan, Small Tsunami Followed
Forecast on Stan's Earthquake map Nov. 3 (click the date)
November 15, 2006
AP
TOKYO - A powerful undersea earthquake prompted tsunami warnings Wednesday for Japan, Russia and Alaska, but the danger appeared to pass after a series of tiny waves hit the northern Japanese coast.
Photo: Fishermen prepare to steam out of the port for safety at Esashicho, Hokkaido, northern Japan, on Wednesday night, shortly after a tsunami alert was issued. (Tatsuya Uchida / Kyodo News via AP)
Several thousand people fled to higher ground on Japan’s northernmost island of Hokkaido. The waves, however, did not swell higher than 16 inches and rapidly diminished in size, and Japan’s meteorological agency later withdrew its tsunami warning after about three hours, although it urged continued caution.
A tsunami warning posted for coastal areas of Alaska was later canceled, as were watches for the northern tip of British Columbia and precautionary advisories for the states of Washington, Oregon and California. A watch was in effect for Hawaii.
The agency told Japanese coastal residents to flee to higher ground after initially predicting that a 61⁄2-foot tsunami would hit the Pacific coast of its northernmost island of Hokkaido and main island of Honshu after 9:10 p.m. (7:10 a.m. EST).
A wave that hit the port of Nemuro on Hokkaido at 9:29 p.m. was measured at 16 inches, and live video from the area showed calm seas. A few minutes later, a second, 8-inch wave hit the nearby port of Kushiro, the agency said, and the waves got progressively smaller.
The Alaska Tsunami Warning Center said a 7.8-inch wave hit Shemya Island and a 3-inch wave hit Amchitka Island in the Aleutian chain.
A magnitude 9.1-magnitude earthquake off the coast of Indonesia on Dec. 26, 2004, caused a tsunami as high as 33 feet that killed at least 213,000 people in 11 countries.
MAJOR TEMBLOR
Takeshi Hachimine, chief of the Japanese meteorological agency’s earthquake and tsunami monitoring section, said aftershocks of Wednesday’s quake could trigger more waves, but those are expected to pose little danger to Japan.
The quake struck at 6:15 a.m. EST with a preliminary magnitude of 8.1 (revised to 8.3 USGS) about 245 miles east of the island known in Japan as Etorofu, which is about 110 miles northeast of Hokkaido, according to the Japanese meteorological agency.
Etorofu is one of four islands in the southern Kuril chain claimed by both Japan and Russia. Etorofu is known in Russia as Iturup.
A tsunami warning was issued for the Kurils and Sakhalin, a large island that lies between the Kuril chain and Russia’s eastern coast, but was later lifted.
An official from the town of Shibetsu on Hokkaido, Kiyoshi Takimoto, told public broadcaster NHK that about 4,000 of the town’s 6,100 residents lived along the coast and had been told to flee to higher ground. Takimoto said he didn’t notice the quake.
The government set up an emergency task force at Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s office.
No damage or casualties were reported in Russia as a result of the quake, said Olga Shekhovtseva, chief spokeswoman for the Emergency Situations Ministry branch in the Sakhalin region, which includes the sparsely populated Kuril Islands.
The islands have rich natural resources but their population has plummeted to just 9,900, according to official statistics.
The ITAR-Tass agency reported that Russia’s Pacific Fleet ships took refuge at their bases but were ready to help with rescue operations if necessary.
‘THERE WAS NO PANIC’
In the city of Kushiro, fire department and city officials urged residents to move to safety, city official Masatoshi Sato said. Railway officials ordered local trains on Hokkaido to stop at nearby stations as a precautionary step, NHK said.
Nemuro official Masayuki Kikuchi said the city dispatched about 20 fire trucks and cars immediately after the alert to instruct coastal residents to evacuate. “There was no panic,” Kikuchi said. “Residents made their way to higher ground, just like they do in our annual tsunami drill.”
The U.S. Geological Survey reported on its Web site that a 7.8-magnitude quake had been detected 275 miles east-northeast of the Kurils at a depth of 17.2 miles. Temblors of magnitude 7 are generally classified as major earthquakes, capable of widespread, heavy damage.
POTENTIALLY DEADLY WAVES
Tsunami waves, which are generated by earthquakes, are often barely noticeable in the ocean but can rise to great heights once they arrive at shore.
Japan is one of the world’s most earthquake-prone countries because it sits atop four tectonic plates.
The Southern Kurils islands were occupied by the Soviet Union in the closing days of World War II. They are surrounded by rich fishing waters and are believed to have promising offshore oil and natural gas reserves. They also have gold and silver deposits.
Mag. 8.3 November 15 11:14:16 46.616 153.224 28.5 Kuril Islands
Mag. 6.5 November 15 11:34:58 46.681 155.278 10.0 east of the Kuril Islands
Mag. 6.3 November 15 11:40:58 46.577 154.716 23.2 east of the Kuril Islands
Mag. 6.2 November 15 11:29:23 46.409 154.486 10.0 east of the Kuril Islands
Mag. 6.0 November 15 11:28:43 46.161 154.073 40.9 east of the Kuril Islands
Mag. 5.9 November 15 12:16:45 46.310 154.600 10.0 east of the Kuril Islands
Mag. 5.8 November 15 11:24:40 46.618 156.741 10.0 east of the Kuril Islands
Mag. 5.7 November 15 12:26:16 47.431 153.980 7.9 Kuril Islands
Mag. 5.3 November 15 16:04:18 48.127 155.066 10.0 Kuril Islands
Mag. 5.3 November 15 14:21:00 47.847 153.998 39.9 Kuril Islands
Mag. 5.3 November 15 12:15:24 46.456 154.280 10.0 east of the Kuril Islands
Mag. 5.2 November 15 13:58:17 46.836 154.954 10.0 east of the Kuril Islands
Mag. 5.1 November 15 15:15:41 46.697 153.028 10.0 Kuril Islands
Mag. 5.0 November 15 12:23:08 47.133 152.727 10.0 Kuril Islands
Mag. 4.8 November 15 13:07:16 48.178 155.188 10.0 Kuril Islands
Mag. 5.1 November 15 22:07:05 46.526 152.885 26.6 Kuril Islands
Mag. 5.6 November 15 21:35:10 47.701 154.518 10.0 Kuril Islands
Mag. 5.5 November 15 21:31:26 47.619 154.071 18.2 Kuril Islands
Mag. 6.2 November 15 21:22:23 47.343 154.096 22.9 Kuril Islands
Mag. 5.3 November 15 21:02:08 47.338 153.772 10.0 Kuril Islands
Mag. 5.3 November 15 20:04:23 47.288 155.150 10.0 East of the Kuril Islands
Mag. 5.1 November 15 19:41:26 46.289 154.519 10.0 East of the Kuril Islands
Mag. 5.4 November 15 19:28:06 47.148 155.050 10.0 East of the Kuril Islands
Mag. 5.6 November 15 19:25:26 47.104 154.866 13.3 Kuril Islands
Mag. 5.3 November 15 18:47:05 47.620 155.040 10.0 East of the Kuril Islands
Mag. 5.3 November 15 17:25:31 47.176 155.029 10.0 East of the Kuril Islands
Mag. 5.0 November 15 16:34:26 47.616 154.457 10.0 Kuril Islands
Mag. 5.3 November 15 16:04:18 48.127 155.066 10.0 Kuril Islands
Mag. 5.1 November 15 15:15:41 46.697 153.028 10.0 Kuril Islands
Mag. 5.3 November 15 14:20:59 47.718 154.170 33.2 Kuril Islands
Mag. 5.2 November 15 13:58:17 46.836 154.954 10.0 East of the Kuril Islands
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