Moderate earthquake jolts Japan’s Honshu island
September 29th, 2010 - 3:40 pm ICT by BNO NewsKORIYAMA, JAPAN (BNO NEWS) — A moderate earthquake shook Japan’s eastern Honshu island on late Wednesday afternoon, seismologists said, but there were no immediate reports of damage or casualties.
The 5.8-magnitude earthquake at 5 p.m. local time (0800 GMT) was centered approximately 45 kilometers (25 miles) west-southwest of Koriyama, a city in the center of the Nakadori region of Fukushima Prefecture. It struck about 20 kilometers (12.4 miles) deep, making it a shallow earthquake, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA).
The United States Geological Survey (USGS) measured the strength of the earthquake at a slightly weaker 5.6 on the Richter scale, at a depth of 10 kilometers (6.2 miles).
The agency estimated that approximately 6,000 people likely perceived ‘very strong’ shaking, which could potentially result in moderate damage. “The population in this region resides in structures that are resistant to earthquake shaking, though some vulnerable structures exist,” the USGS said.
The USGS further estimated that approximately 44,000 people likely perceived ’strong’ shaking, while some 2.4 million people may have felt moderate earthquake shaking. Nearly 25 million others may have felt light shaking.
There were no immediate reports of damage or casualties from the earthquake. “There is a low likelihood of casualties and damage,” the USGS said.
- Powerful quake rocks northern Japan, no casualties - Mar 09, 2011
- Strong quake shakes northeastern Japan, no damage reported - Mar 31, 2011
- Tsunami alert after strong earthquake strikes off Japan's Miyako Islands (Update) - Oct 04, 2010
- Strong earthquake rocks Papua New Guinea's New Britain, no reports of damage - Jun 16, 2011
- Strong earthquake shakes northeast Japan, no damage - Mar 27, 2012
- Strong earthquake jolts eastern Japan, no damage - Aug 01, 2011
- Strong earthquake jolts eastern Japan - Aug 12, 2011
- Tsunami alert canceled after strong quake hits off Japan's Miyako Islands - Oct 04, 2010
- Strong quake strikes off eastern Japan, no damage - Aug 22, 2011
- Strong earthquake strikes off Mexico's Pacific coast, no damage - May 02, 2012
- Moderate earthquake rattles southwest Pakistan, destroys homes - Aug 10, 2011
- Two strong aftershocks rock Japan minutes apart - Mar 15, 2011
- Moderate earthquake rattles southeastern the Philippines, no damage - Dec 08, 2010
- Strong quake strikes Russia-Mongolia border region, no damage - Feb 27, 2012
- Tsunamis strike Japan after enormous earthquakes, casualties reported - Mar 11, 2011
Tags: bno, casualties, earthquake jolts, eastern honshu, honshu island, japan meteorological agency, koriyama, magnitude earthquake, moderate damage, moderate earthquake, prefecture, richter scale, seismologists, shallow earthquake, united states geological, united states geological survey, usgs, vulnerable structures, wednesday afternoon, west southwest