8.8 earthquake hits Japan

8.8 M - NEAR EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
Preliminary Earthquake Report
Magnitude 8.8 M
Date-Time

* 11 Mar 2011 05:46:23 UTC
* 11 Mar 2011 14:46:23 near epicenter
* 10 Mar 2011 23:46:23 standard time in your timezone

Location 38.322N 142.369E
Depth 24 km
Distances

* 130 km (81 miles) E (86 degrees) of Sendai, Honshu, Japan
* 179 km (111 miles) ENE (68 degrees) of Fukushima, Honshu, Japan
* 188 km (117 miles) SE (145 degrees) of Morioka, Honshu, Japan
* 376 km (234 miles) NE (37 degrees) of TOKYO, Japan

http://www.smh.com.au/environment/tsunami-surges-across-japan-following-89-earthquake-20110311-1bqym.html

A massive surge of water has caused swathes of devastation across Japan, after an 8.9-magnitude earthquake struck off shore, prompting a four-metre tsunami.

Footage from a helicopter on public broadcaster NHK Japan showed water washing away farms and homes in Miyagi prefecture.

Cars could be seen trying to drive away from the rapidly moving water.

The quake struck 382km northeast of Tokyo at 2.46pm local time (4.46pm AEDST), and was followed by a series of powerful aftershocks, including one of 7.4-magnitude about 30 minutes later.

The US Geological Survey rated the strength of the first quake as a magnitude 8.9, while Japan’s meteorological agency measured it at 8.4.

Japanese authorities responded by issuing their top-level evacuation alerts for the entire Japanese coast, Russia and the Mariana Islands, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre said.

Officials have not yet been able to provide details on the damage, but the devastation appears widespread.

An oil refinery in Chiba prefecture near Toyko caught fire, smoke seen billowing from the industrial site.

The wave also moved across Onahama city in Fukushima prefecture, sweeping away houses, cars and trucks.

A large ship swept away by the tsunami rammed directly into a breakwater in Kesennuma city in Miyagi prefecture.

Scores of cars were shown floating in Iwate prefecture harbour, while the Tokyo Fire department said many people were injured after a roof caved in during a school graduation ceremony at a hall in east Tokyo.

Bigger and bigger
Andrew Stevens, an Australian expat working in central Tokyo, told Fairfax Media the earthquake started small but got "bigger and bigger".

"(It) shook maybe 2-3 minutes," he said, via email, adding that his mobile phone network was out.

Tokyo’s Narita airport shut down, Kyodo News reported. Haneda, the capital’s other main airport, was also closed, NHK said.

Tokyo Metro, which has more than 6 million passengers a day, stopped operations on its nine subway lines, while the Shinkansen bullet trains also halted. Tokyo port shut all 19 of its water gates as it prepared for the tsunami.

According to NHK Japan, More than 4 million buildings in Tokyo and surrounding areas lost power soon after the quake.

The yen tumbled against the dollar after the quake, falling to 83.30 against the dollar from 82.81 before the quake struck.

The government has set up an earthquake response team and Minister Naoto Kan returned to his office from parliament to convene his team.

Several quakes had hit the same region in recent days, including a 7.3 magnitude one on Wednesday.

The Joint Australian Tsunami Warning Centre said there was no tsunami threat to Australia.

World-wide tsunami warning just issued:

http://www.weather.gov/ptwc/text.php?id=pacific.2011.03.11.073000

000
WEPA40 PHEB 110730
TSUPAC
TSUNAMI BULLETIN NUMBER 003
PACIFIC TSUNAMI WARNING CENTER/NOAA/NWS
ISSUED AT 0730Z 11 MAR 2011
THIS BULLETIN APPLIES TO AREAS WITHIN AND BORDERING THE PACIFIC
OCEAN AND ADJACENT SEAS...EXCEPT ALASKA...BRITISH COLUMBIA...
WASHINGTON...OREGON AND CALIFORNIA.
... A WIDESPREAD TSUNAMI WARNING IS IN EFFECT ...
A TSUNAMI WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR
JAPAN / RUSSIA / MARCUS IS. / N. MARIANAS / GUAM / WAKE IS. /
TAIWAN / YAP / PHILIPPINES / MARSHALL IS. / BELAU / MIDWAY IS. /
POHNPEI / CHUUK / KOSRAE / INDONESIA / PAPUA NEW GUINEA /
NAURU / JOHNSTON IS. / SOLOMON IS. / KIRIBATI / HOWLAND-BAKER /
HAWAII / TUVALU / PALMYRA IS. / VANUATU / TOKELAU / JARVIS IS. /
WALLIS-FUTUNA / SAMOA / AMERICAN SAMOA / COOK ISLANDS / NIUE /
AUSTRALIA / FIJI / NEW CALEDONIA / TONGA / MEXICO /
KERMADEC IS / FR. POLYNESIA / NEW ZEALAND / PITCAIRN /
GUATEMALA / EL SALVADOR / COSTA RICA / NICARAGUA / ANTARCTICA /
PANAMA / HONDURAS / CHILE / ECUADOR / COLOMBIA / PERU
THIS BULLETIN IS ISSUED AS ADVICE TO GOVERNMENT AGENCIES. ONLY
NATIONAL AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT AGENCIES HAVE THE AUTHORITY TO MAKE
DECISIONS REGARDING THE OFFICIAL STATE OF ALERT IN THEIR AREA AND
ANY ACTIONS TO BE TAKEN IN RESPONSE.
AN EARTHQUAKE HAS OCCURRED WITH THESE PRELIMINARY PARAMETERS
ORIGIN TIME - 0546Z 11 MAR 2011
COORDINATES - 38.2 NORTH 142.5 EAST
DEPTH - 10 KM
LOCATION - NEAR EAST COAST OF HONSHU JAPAN
MAGNITUDE - 8.8
MEASUREMENTS OR REPORTS OF TSUNAMI WAVE ACTIVITY
GAUGE LOCATION LAT LON TIME AMPL PER
DART 21413 30.5N 152.1E 0659Z 0.76M / 2.5FT 32MIN
HANASAKI HOKKAIDO J 43.3N 145.6E 0657Z 2.79M / 9.2FT 76MIN
DART 21401 42.6N 152.6E 0643Z 0.67M / 2.2FT 40MIN
DART 21418 38.7N 148.7E 0619Z 1.08M / 3.5FT 06MIN
LAT - LATITUDE (N-NORTH, S-SOUTH)
LON - LONGITUDE (E-EAST, W-WEST)
TIME - TIME OF THE MEASUREMENT (Z IS UTC IS GREENWICH TIME)
AMPL - TSUNAMI AMPLITUDE MEASURED RELATIVE TO NORMAL SEA LEVEL.
IT IS ...NOT... CREST-TO-TROUGH WAVE HEIGHT.
VALUES ARE GIVEN IN BOTH METERS(M) AND FEET(FT).
PER - PERIOD OF TIME IN MINUTES(MIN) FROM ONE WAVE TO THE NEXT.
NOTE - DART MEASUREMENTS ARE FROM THE DEEP OCEAN AND THEY
ARE GENERALLY MUCH SMALLER THAN WOULD BE COASTAL
MEASUREMENTS AT SIMILAR LOCATIONS.
EVALUATION
SEA LEVEL READINGS CONFIRM THAT A TSUNAMI HAS BEEN GENERATED
WHICH COULD CAUSE WIDESPREAD DAMAGE. AUTHORITIES SHOULD TAKE
APPROPRIATE ACTION IN RESPONSE TO THIS THREAT. THIS CENTER WILL
CONTINUE TO MONITOR SEA LEVEL DATA TO DETERMINE THE EXTENT AND
SEVERITY OF THE THREAT.
A TSUNAMI IS A SERIES OF WAVES AND THE FIRST WAVE MAY NOT BE THE
LARGEST. TSUNAMI WAVE HEIGHTS CANNOT BE PREDICTED AND CAN VARY
SIGNIFICANTLY ALONG A COAST DUE TO LOCAL EFFECTS. THE TIME FROM
ONE TSUNAMI WAVE TO THE NEXT CAN BE FIVE MINUTES TO AN HOUR, AND
THE THREAT CAN CONTINUE FOR MANY HOURS AS MULTIPLE WAVES ARRIVE.
FOR ALL AREAS - WHEN NO MAJOR WAVES ARE OBSERVED FOR TWO HOURS
AFTER THE ESTIMATED TIME OF ARRIVAL OR DAMAGING WAVES HAVE NOT
OCCURRED FOR AT LEAST TWO HOURS THEN LOCAL AUTHORITIES CAN ASSUME
THE THREAT IS PASSED. DANGER TO BOATS AND COASTAL STRUCTURES CAN
CONTINUE FOR SEVERAL HOURS DUE TO RAPID CURRENTS. AS LOCAL
CONDITIONS CAN CAUSE A WIDE VARIATION IN TSUNAMI WAVE ACTION THE
ALL CLEAR DETERMINATION MUST BE MADE BY LOCAL AUTHORITIES.
ESTIMATED INITIAL TSUNAMI WAVE ARRIVAL TIMES AT FORECAST POINTS
WITHIN THE WARNING AND WATCH AREAS ARE GIVEN BELOW. ACTUAL
ARRIVAL TIMES MAY DIFFER AND THE INITIAL WAVE MAY NOT BE THE
LARGEST. A TSUNAMI IS A SERIES OF WAVES AND THE TIME BETWEEN
SUCCESSIVE WAVES CAN BE FIVE MINUTES TO ONE HOUR.
LOCATION FORECAST POINT COORDINATES ARRIVAL TIME
JAPAN KATSUURA 35.1N 140.3E 0635Z 11 MAR
KUSHIRO 42.9N 144.3E 0642Z 11 MAR
HACHINOHE 40.5N 141.5E 0700Z 11 MAR
SHIMIZU 32.8N 133.0E 0756Z 11 MAR
OKINAWA 26.2N 127.8E 0912Z 11 MAR
RUSSIA URUP_IS 46.1N 150.5E 0714Z 11 MAR
SEVERO_KURILSK 50.8N 156.1E 0834Z 11 MAR
PETROPAVLOVSK_K 53.2N 159.6E 0836Z 11 MAR
UST_KAMCHATSK 56.1N 162.6E 0840Z 11 MAR
MEDNNY_IS 54.7N 167.4E 0903Z 11 MAR
MARCUS IS. MARCUS_IS. 24.3N 154.0E 0757Z 11 MAR
N. MARIANAS SAIPAN 15.3N 145.8E 0853Z 11 MAR
GUAM GUAM 13.4N 144.7E 0909Z 11 MAR
WAKE IS. WAKE_IS. 19.3N 166.6E 0925Z 11 MAR
TAIWAN HUALIEN 24.0N 121.7E 0932Z 11 MAR
HUALIEN 24.0N 121.6E 0933Z 11 MAR
TAITUNG 22.7N 121.2E 0936Z 11 MAR
CHILUNG 25.2N 121.8E 1004Z 11 MAR
YAP YAP_IS. 9.5N 138.1E 0944Z 11 MAR
PHILIPPINES PALANAN 17.1N 122.6E 0955Z 11 MAR
LEGASPI 13.2N 123.8E 1026Z 11 MAR
DAVAO 6.8N 125.7E 1053Z 11 MAR
MARSHALL IS. ENIWETOK 11.4N 162.3E 1013Z 11 MAR
KWAJALEIN 8.7N 167.7E 1044Z 11 MAR
MAJURO 7.1N 171.4E 1124Z 11 MAR
BELAU MALAKAL 7.3N 134.5E 1025Z 11 MAR
MIDWAY IS. MIDWAY_IS. 28.2N 182.6E 1026Z 11 MAR
POHNPEI POHNPEI_IS. 7.0N 158.2E 1027Z 11 MAR
CHUUK CHUUK_IS. 7.4N 151.8E 1034Z 11 MAR
KOSRAE KOSRAE_IS. 5.5N 163.0E 1043Z 11 MAR
INDONESIA GEME 4.6N 126.8E 1049Z 11 MAR
BEREBERE 2.5N 128.7E 1058Z 11 MAR
WARSA 0.6S 135.8E 1110Z 11 MAR
MANOKWARI 0.8S 134.2E 1118Z 11 MAR
PATANI 0.4N 128.8E 1124Z 11 MAR
JAYAPURA 2.4S 140.8E 1135Z 11 MAR
SORONG 0.8S 131.1E 1135Z 11 MAR
PAPUA NEW GUINE MANUS_IS. 2.0S 147.5E 1124Z 11 MAR
KAVIENG 2.5S 150.7E 1124Z 11 MAR
VANIMO 2.6S 141.3E 1134Z 11 MAR
WEWAK 3.5S 143.6E 1146Z 11 MAR
RABAUL 4.2S 152.3E 1154Z 11 MAR
KIETA 6.1S 155.6E 1205Z 11 MAR
AMUN 6.0S 154.7E 1211Z 11 MAR
MADANG 5.2S 145.8E 1215Z 11 MAR
LAE 6.8S 147.0E 1254Z 11 MAR
PORT_MORESBY 9.3S 146.9E 1429Z 11 MAR
NAURU NAURU 0.5S 166.9E 1149Z 11 MAR
JOHNSTON IS. JOHNSTON_IS. 16.7N 190.5E 1202Z 11 MAR
SOLOMON IS. PANGGOE 6.9S 157.2E 1221Z 11 MAR
FALAMAE 7.4S 155.6E 1222Z 11 MAR
MUNDA 8.4S 157.2E 1239Z 11 MAR
GHATERE 7.8S 159.2E 1248Z 11 MAR
AUKI 8.8S 160.6E 1309Z 11 MAR
HONIARA 9.3S 160.0E 1314Z 11 MAR
KIRAKIRA 10.4S 161.9E 1318Z 11 MAR
KIRIBATI TARAWA_IS. 1.5N 173.0E 1228Z 11 MAR
KANTON_IS. 2.8S 188.3E 1329Z 11 MAR
CHRISTMAS_IS. 2.0N 202.5E 1443Z 11 MAR
MALDEN_IS. 3.9S 205.1E 1518Z 11 MAR
FLINT_IS. 11.4S 208.2E 1613Z 11 MAR
HOWLAND-BAKER HOWLAND_IS. 0.6N 183.4E 1243Z 11 MAR
HAWAII NAWILIWILI 22.0N 200.6E 1259Z 11 MAR
HONOLULU 21.3N 202.1E 1313Z 11 MAR
KAHULUI 20.9N 203.5E 1320Z 11 MAR
HILO 19.7N 204.9E 1339Z 11 MAR
TUVALU FUNAFUTI_IS. 7.9S 178.5E 1330Z 11 MAR
PALMYRA IS. PALMYRA_IS. 6.3N 197.6E 1346Z 11 MAR
VANUATU ESPERITU_SANTO 15.1S 167.3E 1407Z 11 MAR
ANATOM_IS. 20.2S 169.9E 1502Z 11 MAR
TOKELAU NUKUNONU_IS. 9.2S 188.2E 1409Z 11 MAR
JARVIS IS. JARVIS_IS. 0.4S 199.9E 1427Z 11 MAR
WALLIS-FUTUNA WALLIS_IS. 13.3S 183.8E 1427Z 11 MAR
FUTUNA_I. 14.3S 181.8E 1440Z 11 MAR
SAMOA APIA 13.8S 188.2E 1445Z 11 MAR
AMERICAN SAMOA PAGO_PAGO 14.3S 189.3E 1452Z 11 MAR
COOK ISLANDS PUKAPUKA_IS. 10.8S 194.1E 1452Z 11 MAR
PENRYN_IS. 8.9S 202.2E 1525Z 11 MAR
RAROTONGA 21.2S 200.2E 1626Z 11 MAR
NIUE NIUE_IS. 19.0S 190.0E 1526Z 11 MAR
AUSTRALIA CAIRNS 16.7S 145.8E 1528Z 11 MAR
BRISBANE 27.2S 153.3E 1620Z 11 MAR
SYDNEY 33.9S 151.4E 1651Z 11 MAR
GLADSTONE 23.8S 151.4E 1730Z 11 MAR
MACKAY 21.1S 149.3E 1811Z 11 MAR
HOBART 43.3S 147.6E 1826Z 11 MAR
FIJI SUVA 18.1S 178.4E 1528Z 11 MAR
NEW CALEDONIA NOUMEA 22.3S 166.5E 1531Z 11 MAR
TONGA NUKUALOFA 21.0S 184.8E 1557Z 11 MAR
MEXICO ENSENADA 31.8N 243.2E 1644Z 11 MAR
PUNTA_ABREOJOS 26.7N 246.4E 1732Z 11 MAR
CABO_SAN_LUCAS 22.8N 250.0E 1809Z 11 MAR
SOCORRO 18.8N 249.0E 1819Z 11 MAR
MAZATLAN 23.2N 253.6E 1858Z 11 MAR
MANZANILLO 19.1N 255.7E 1924Z 11 MAR
ACAPULCO 16.9N 260.1E 1959Z 11 MAR
PUERTO_MADERO 14.8N 267.5E 2134Z 11 MAR
KERMADEC IS RAOUL_IS. 29.2S 182.1E 1648Z 11 MAR
FR. POLYNESIA PAPEETE 17.5S 210.4E 1706Z 11 MAR
HIVA_OA 10.0S 221.0E 1744Z 11 MAR
RIKITEA 23.1S 225.0E 1913Z 11 MAR
NEW ZEALAND NORTH_CAPE 34.4S 173.3E 1714Z 11 MAR
EAST_CAPE 37.7S 178.5E 1814Z 11 MAR
AUCKLAND(W) 37.1S 174.2E 1814Z 11 MAR
GISBORNE 38.7S 178.0E 1821Z 11 MAR
MILFORD_SOUND 44.6S 167.9E 1839Z 11 MAR
WELLINGTON 41.3S 174.8E 1845Z 11 MAR
AUCKLAND(E) 36.7S 175.0E 1856Z 11 MAR
NEW_PLYMOUTH 39.1S 174.1E 1900Z 11 MAR
NAPIER 39.5S 176.9E 1908Z 11 MAR
WESTPORT 41.8S 171.6E 1929Z 11 MAR
DUNEDIN 45.9S 170.5E 2021Z 11 MAR
LYTTELTON 43.6S 172.7E 2055Z 11 MAR
BLUFF 46.6S 168.3E 2113Z 11 MAR
NELSON 41.3S 173.3E 2206Z 11 MAR
PITCAIRN PITCAIRN_IS. 25.1S 229.9E 2000Z 11 MAR
GUATEMALA SIPICATE 13.9N 268.8E 2150Z 11 MAR
EL SALVADOR ACAJUTLA 13.6N 270.2E 2156Z 11 MAR
COSTA RICA CABO_SAN_ELENA 10.9N 274.0E 2209Z 11 MAR
PUERTO_QUEPOS 9.4N 275.8E 2235Z 11 MAR
CABO_MATAPALO 8.4N 276.7E 2237Z 11 MAR
NICARAGUA CORINTO 12.5N 272.8E 2217Z 11 MAR
PUERTO_SANDINO 12.2N 273.2E 2223Z 11 MAR
SAN_JUAN_DL_SUR 11.2N 274.1E 2233Z 11 MAR
ANTARCTICA CAPE_ADARE 71.0S 170.0E 2222Z 11 MAR
THURSTON_IS. 72.0S 260.0E 0121Z 12 MAR
PANAMA PUNTA_BURICA 8.0N 277.1E 2248Z 11 MAR
PUNTA_MALA 7.5N 280.0E 2334Z 11 MAR
PUERTO_PINA 7.4N 282.0E 2344Z 11 MAR
BALBOA_HTS. 9.0N 280.4E 0155Z 12 MAR
HONDURAS AMAPALA 13.2N 272.4E 2253Z 11 MAR
CHILE EASTER_IS. 27.1S 250.6E 2255Z 11 MAR
ARICA 18.5S 289.7E 0244Z 12 MAR
IQUIQUE 20.2S 289.9E 0249Z 12 MAR
ANTOFAGASTA 23.3S 289.6E 0254Z 12 MAR
CALDERA 27.1S 289.2E 0314Z 12 MAR
GOLFO_DE_PENAS 47.1S 285.1E 0315Z 12 MAR
COQUIMBO 29.9S 288.6E 0323Z 12 MAR
VALPARAISO 33.0S 288.4E 0338Z 12 MAR
CORRAL 39.8S 286.5E 0352Z 12 MAR
TALCAHUANO 36.7S 286.9E 0359Z 12 MAR
PUERTO_MONTT 41.5S 287.0E 0552Z 12 MAR
PUERTO_WILLIAMS 54.8S 291.8E 0855Z 12 MAR
PUNTA_ARENAS 53.2S 289.1E 1700Z 12 MAR
ECUADOR BALTRA_IS. 0.5S 269.7E 2331Z 11 MAR
ESMERELDAS 1.2N 280.2E 0003Z 12 MAR
LA_LIBERTAD 2.2S 278.8E 0024Z 12 MAR
COLOMBIA BAHIA_SOLANO 6.3N 282.6E 2347Z 11 MAR
TUMACO 1.8N 281.1E 0012Z 12 MAR
BUENAVENTURA 3.8N 282.8E 0030Z 12 MAR
PERU TALARA 4.6S 278.5E 0033Z 12 MAR
PIMENTAL 6.9S 280.0E 0138Z 12 MAR
LA_PUNTA 12.1S 282.8E 0139Z 12 MAR
CHIMBOTE 9.0S 281.2E 0144Z 12 MAR
SAN_JUAN 15.3S 284.8E 0153Z 12 MAR
MOLLENDO 17.1S 288.0E 0226Z 12 MAR
BULLETINS WILL BE ISSUED HOURLY OR SOONER IF CONDITIONS WARRANT.
THE TSUNAMI WARNING WILL REMAIN IN EFFECT UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE.
THE JAPAN METEOROLOGICAL AGENCY MAY ALSO ISSUE TSUNAMI MESSAGES
FOR THIS EVENT TO COUNTRIES IN THE NORTHWEST PACIFIC AND SOUTH
CHINA SEA REGION. IN CASE OF CONFLICTING INFORMATION... THE
MORE CONSERVATIVE INFORMATION SHOULD BE USED FOR SAFETY.
THE WEST COAST/ALASKA TSUNAMI WARNING CENTER WILL ISSUE PRODUCTS
FOR ALASKA...BRITISH COLUMBIA...WASHINGTON...OREGON...CALIFORNIA.

Tectonic Summary

The 03/11/2011 earthquake (preliminary magnitude 8.9) near the east coast of Honshu, Japan, occurred as a result of thrust faulting on or near the subduction zone interface plate boundary between the Pacific and North America plates. At the latitude of this earthquake, the Pacific plate moves approximately westwards with respect to the North America plate at a velocity of 83 mm/yr. The Pacific plate thrusts underneath Japan at the Japan Trench, and dips to the west beneath Eurasia. The location, depth, and focal mechanism of the March 11 earthquake are consistent with the event having occurred as thrust faulting associated with subduction along this plate boundary. Note that some authors divide this region into several microplates that together define the relative motions between the larger Pacific, North America and Eurasia plates; these include the Okhotsk and Amur microplates that are respectively part of North America and Eurasia.

The March 11 earthquake was preceded by a series of large foreshocks over the previous two days, beginning on March 9th with an M 7.2 event approximately 40 km from the March 11 earthquake, and continuing with a further 3 earthquakes greater than M 6 on the same day.

The Japan Trench subduction zone has hosted 9 events of magnitude 7 or greater since 1973. The largest of these was an M 7.8 earthquake approximately 230 km to the north of the March 11 event, in December 1994, which caused 3 fatalities and almost 700 injuries. In June of 1978, an M 7.7 earthquake 75 km to the southwest caused 22 fatalities and over 400 injuries. In December of 2008, a sequence of 4 moderate earthquakes (M 5.3-5.8) occurred within 20 km of the March 11 event. In the first 12 hours following the March 11 earthquake, the region has experienced over a dozen aftershocks of M 5 or greater, the largest being M 5.7.

Just heard about this....and have been hearing people who were there talking about it.

I do hope that there are not masses of casualties....any news on that?

WEHW40 PHEB 110731
TSUHWX
HIZ001>003-005>009-012>014-016>021-023>026-110931-
/O.CAN.PHEB.TS.A.0001.000000T0000Z-000000T0000Z/
/O.NEW.PHEB.TS.W.0001.110311T0731Z-000000T0000Z/
BULLETIN
TSUNAMI MESSAGE NUMBER 3
NWS PACIFIC TSUNAMI WARNING CENTER EWA BEACH HI
931 PM HST THU MAR 10 2011
TO - CIVIL DEFENSE IN THE STATE OF HAWAII
SUBJECT - TSUNAMI WARNING
A TSUNAMI WARNING IS ISSUED FOR THE STATE OF HAWAII EFFECTIVE AT
0931 PM HST.
AN EARTHQUAKE HAS OCCURRED WITH THESE PRELIMINARY PARAMETERS
ORIGIN TIME - 0746 PM HST 10 MAR 2011
COORDINATES - 38.2 NORTH 142.5 EAST
LOCATION - NEAR EAST COAST OF HONSHU JAPAN
MAGNITUDE - 8.8 MOMENT
MEASUREMENTS OR REPORTS OF TSUNAMI WAVE ACTIVITY
GAUGE LOCATION LAT LON TIME AMPL PER
DART 21413 30.5N 152.1E 0659Z 0.76M / 2.5FT 32MIN
HANASAKI HOKKAIDO J 43.3N 145.6E 0657Z 2.79M / 9.2FT 76MIN
DART 21401 42.6N 152.6E 0643Z 0.67M / 2.2FT 40MIN
DART 21418 38.7N 148.7E 0619Z 1.08M / 3.5FT 06MIN
LAT - LATITUDE (N-NORTH, S-SOUTH)
LON - LONGITUDE (E-EAST, W-WEST)
TIME - TIME OF THE MEASUREMENT (Z IS UTC IS GREENWICH TIME)
AMPL - TSUNAMI AMPLITUDE MEASURED RELATIVE TO NORMAL SEA LEVEL.
IT IS ...NOT... CREST-TO-TROUGH WAVE HEIGHT.
VALUES ARE GIVEN IN BOTH METERS(M) AND FEET(FT).
PER - PERIOD OF TIME IN MINUTES(MIN) FROM ONE WAVE TO THE NEXT.
NOTE - DART MEASUREMENTS ARE FROM THE DEEP OCEAN AND THEY
ARE GENERALLY MUCH SMALLER THAN WOULD BE COASTAL
MEASUREMENTS AT SIMILAR LOCATIONS.
EVALUATION
A TSUNAMI HAS BEEN GENERATED THAT COULD CAUSE DAMAGE ALONG
COASTLINES OF ALL ISLANDS IN THE STATE OF HAWAII. URGENT ACTION
SHOULD BE TAKEN TO PROTECT LIVES AND PROPERTY.
A TSUNAMI IS A SERIES OF LONG OCEAN WAVES. EACH INDIVIDUAL WAVE
CREST CAN LAST 5 TO 15 MINUTES OR MORE AND EXTENSIVELY FLOOD
COASTAL AREAS. THE DANGER CAN CONTINUE FOR MANY HOURS AFTER THE
INITIAL WAVE AS SUBSEQUENT WAVES ARRIVE. TSUNAMI WAVE HEIGHTS
CANNOT BE PREDICTED AND THE FIRST WAVE MAY NOT BE THE LARGEST.
TSUNAMI WAVES EFFICIENTLY WRAP AROUND ISLANDS. ALL SHORES ARE AT
RISK NO MATTER WHICH DIRECTION THEY FACE. THE TROUGH OF A TSUNAMI
WAVE MAY TEMPORARILY EXPOSE THE SEAFLOOR BUT THE AREA WILL
QUICKLY FLOOD AGAIN. EXTREMELY STRONG AND UNUSUAL NEARSHORE
CURRENTS CAN ACCOMPANY A TSUNAMI. DEBRIS PICKED UP AND CARRIED
BY A TSUNAMI AMPLIFIES ITS DESTRUCTIVE POWER. SIMULTANEOUS HIGH
TIDES OR HIGH SURF CAN SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASE THE TSUNAMI HAZARD.
THE ESTIMATED ARRIVAL TIME IN HAWAII OF THE FIRST TSUNAMI WAVE IS
0259 AM HST FRI 11 MAR 2011
MESSAGES WILL BE ISSUED HOURLY OR SOONER AS CONDITIONS WARRANT.

News is reporting 6-8 earthquakes/aftershocks within 2 hours off the east coast of Japan, all above 5.5 themselves. Multiple tidal waves.

Cycloptichorn

Mar 11, 2011
Injuries after roof collapses at Tokyo graduation

TOKYO - MANY people were injured after a roof collapsed at a hall in Tokyo where a graduation ceremony for 600 students was being held, the Tokyo Fire department said, after a huge 8.9 magnitude quake hit Japan on Friday.

The huge earthquake shook Japan, unleashing a powerful tsunami that sent ships crashing into the shore and carried cars through the streets of coastal towns. -- AFP

This is the same location as the large one a day ago that did no damage.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/rest-of-world/Japanese-nuclear-plants-shut-after-quake/articleshow/7678607.cms

SINGAPORE: Some Japanese nuclear power plants and oil refineries were shut down on Friday and a major steel plant was ablaze after a powerful earthquake rocked the country, buckling roads, triggering landslides and knocking out power to homes and businesses.

The Bank of Japan, which has been struggling to boost the anaemic economy, said it would do its utmost to ensure financial market stability as air force jets raced toward the northeast coast to determine the extent of the damage from the 8.9 magnitude quake.

"There are car and semiconductor factories in northern Japan, so there will be some economic impact due to damage to factories," said Yasuo Yamamoto, senior economist at Mizuho Research Institute in Tokyo.

Japanese media reported many injuries and fires in Sendai city in northern Japan and Tokyo. A tsunami 10 metres high hit Sendai port but there were no immediate reports of damage.

The Miyagi prefecture and surrounding areas include major manufacturing and industrial zones, with many chemical, petrochemical and electronics plants.

The yen extended earlier losses to stand 0.3 percent lower against the dollar by 0800 GMT, while Nikkei stock futures

fell more than 3 percent. "We still don't know the full scale of the damage, but considering what happened after the earthquake in Kobe, this will certainly lead the government to compile an emergency budget. We can expect consumption to fall. This could temporarily pull down gross domestic product," Yamamoto said.

Hokuriku Electric Co said on Friday all of three reactors at its Onagawa nuclear plant in northern Japan shut down automatically after the quake.

JX Nippon Oil & Energy Corp, Japan's top refiner, halted operations at three refineries in Sendai, Kashima and Negishi, Jiji News said.

Electric Power Development (J-Power) has also halted operations of its Isogo thermal plant in Yokohama, Jiji reported.

Television reported a major fire at Cosmo Oil Co's Chiba refinery in Chiba, east of Tokyo.

A fire was also reported at JFE Holdings Inc's steel plant in Chiba.

After shrinking slightly in the final quarter of last year Japan's economy had been widely expected to resume growth early in 2011 as exports and industrial production pick up, but the quake raised the prospect of major disruptions for many key businesses at least in the short term.

"The government would have to sell more bonds, but this is an emergency, so this can't be avoided," Yamamoto said.

"Given where the Bank of Japan's benchmark interest rate is now, they can't really lower rates. The BOJ will focus on providing liquidity, possibly by expanding market operations."

The quake has been ranked as the 7th most powerful ever recorded.





Amazing animation of all the world's earthquakes in the last 7 days, building up to the earthquake in Japan:

http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/recenteqsanim/world/

HONOLULU — The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Hawaii has widened its tsunami warning to include Hawaii and the rest of the Pacific Ocean, while a watch notice was issued for west coast of the U.S.

Sirens were sounded in Honolulu shortly after the warning was issued Thursday at 9:31 p.m. Haiwaii time.

The warning follows a massive earthquake that has struck off the northeastern coast of Japan.

It says the estimated earliest arrival in Hawaii of the first tsunami wave is 2:59 a.m. local time time Friday (7:59 a.m. ET).

"A tsunami has been generated that could cause damage along the coastlines of all islands in the state of Hawaii," the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center's bulletin said. "Urgent action should be taken to protect lives and property."

A tsunami watch was also issued for the coasts of Oregon, Washington and California as well as parts of Alaska, The Oregonian newspaper reported. The paper said any wave which reached the coast could hit just before 7:30 a.m. local time Friday.

The warning also includes Australia, New Zealand, Mexico and Central and South America. The coast of North America is not included in the warning.

Tsunami warnings are issued due to the imminent threat of a tsunami.

It is frightening to watch the 12-13 foot waves of the tsunami just sweep away everything in its path.

(Reuters) - Thirty international search and rescue teams stand ready to go to Japan to provide assistance following a major earthquake, the United Nations said on Friday.

"We stand ready to assist as usual in such cases," Elisabeth Byrs of the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Assistance (OCHA) told Reuters in Geneva. "Thirty international search and rescue teams are on alert and monitoring the situation and stand ready to assist if necessary."

U.N. disaster assessment and coordination teams, who deploy in emergencies worldwide to try to locate and treat survivors, normally include sniffer dogs and medical teams.

The biggest earthquake to hit Japan in 140 years struck the northeast coast on Friday, triggering a 10-metre tsunami that swept away everything in its path, including houses, cars and farm buildings on fire.

And what is it that these teams are supposed to do? If people got caught in the tsunami their bodies are either washed out to sea or they will be found when the heavy earthmoving takes place. Japan builds structures very well, so we are not going to have people alive under collapsed buildings.

I will be shocked if Japan takes international rescue aid, it is not needed. Japan is not Haiti or Indonesia.......

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/japan-earthquake-aftermath-at-a-glance-2238988.html

Japan: Earthquake aftermath at a glance

Reuters

Friday, 11 March 2011
Sponsored Links

Following are main developments in the earthquake measuring 8.9 that struck northeast Japan today.

* At least five people reported dead in Fukushima province, and many feared buried in rubble after a hotel collapses in northern city Sendai.

* Quake triggers tsunami up to 10 metres (30 feet), waves sweep across farmland, sweeping away homes, crops, vehicles, triggering fires. Tsunami of 7 metres later hits northern Japan.

* Strong aftershocks hit northern Japan.

* Tsunami warnings issued for countries including 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.

* Power cut to four million homes in and around Tokyo. Fourteen fires blaze in Tokyo.

* Many sections of Tohoku expressway serving northern Japan damaged. Major fire at Chiba refinery near Tokyo.

8 Bullet trains to the north of the country stopped. The government was to dispatch 900 rescue workers to stricken regions.

* Narita airport closed, flights halted, passengers evacuated. Tokyo underground, suburban trains halted. Sendai airport in the north flooded.

* All Japanese ports closed and discharging operations halted, shippers report.

* Eight military planes scrambled to survey damage. Prime Minister Naoto Kan asks people to remain calm and orders the military to do their utmost to act. Cabinet to meet. The government says more tsunami possible.

* Central bank vows to do utmost to ensure financial market stability.

* Some nuclear power plants and oil refineries shut down automatically. Tepco's Fukushimi No. 1 plant had an equipment problem after the quake, but safety is ensured, officials say.

* Television reports a major fire at Cosmo Oil Co's Chiba refinery east of Tokyo, and a fire was reported at JFE's steel plant, also in Chiba.

* Toyota says stopped output at parts factory and two assembly plants in the northeast

* Electronics firm Sony closes six factories, Kyodo new agency reports.

* Asian shares fall after the quake hits while Nikkei still trading; European shares fall to their lowest in three months.

Tsunami slams into Japan after massive earthquake

AP
Friday, 11 March 2011

A magnitude 8.9 earthquake slammed into Japan's north-eastern coast today, unleashing a four-meter tsunami that swept boats, cars, buildings and tons of debris miles inland. Fires burned out of control up and down the coast, including one at an oil refinery.

At least one person was killed and there were reports of several injuries in Tokyo, hundreds of miles (kilometers) away, where buildings shook violently through the main quake and the wave of massive aftershocks that followed. A tsunami warning was issued for dozens of Pacific countries, as far away as Chile.

Japan's meteorological agency said that within two hours, large tsunamis washed ashore into dozens of cities along a 1,300-mile (2,100-kilometer) stretch of the country's eastern shore — from the northern island of Hokkaido to central Wakayama prefecture.

Prime Minister Naoto Kan said the quake caused "major damage in broad areas" but nuclear power plants in the area were not affected. The government prepared to send troops to the quake-hit areas.

"This is a rare major quake, and damages could quickly rise by the minute," said Junichi Sawada, an official with Japan's Fire and Disaster Management Agency.

TV footage showed waves of muddy waters sweeping over farmland near the city of Sendai, carrying buildings, some on fire, inland as cars attempted to drive away. Sendai airport, north of Tokyo, was inundated with cars, trucks, buses and thick mud deposited over its runways. Fires spread through a section of the city, public broadcaster NHK reported.

The tsunami also roared over embankments in Sendai city, washing cars, houses and farm equipment inland before reversing directions and carrying them out to sea. Flames shot from some of the houses, probably because of burst gas pipes.

Elsewhere, large fishing boats lay upturned on land, some distance from the sea.

Officials were trying to assess damage, injuries and deaths but had no immediate details. Police said at least one person was killed in a house collapse in Ibaraki prefecture, just northeast of Tokyo.

A large fire erupted at the Cosmo oil refinery in Ichihara city in Chiba prefecture near Tokyo and was burning out of control with 100-foot (30 meter) -high flames whipping into the sky.

NHK showed footage of a large ship being swept away by the tsunami and ramming directly into a breakwater in Kesennuma city in Miyagi prefecture.

In various locations along the coast, footage showed massive damage from the tsunami, with cars, boats and even buildings being carried along by waters. Partially submerged vehicles were seen bobbing in the water.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake was a magnitude 8.9, while Japan's meteorological agency measured it at 8.4. It struck at 2:46 p.m. and was followed by 12 powerful aftershocks, seven of them at least 6.3, the size of the quake that struck New Zealand recently.

A tsunami warning was extended to a number of Pacific, Southeast Asian and Latin American nations, including Japan, Russia, Indonesia, New Zealand and Chile. In the Philippines, authorities said they expect a 3-foot (1-meter) high tsunami.

The quake struck at a depth of six miles (10 kilometers), about 80 miles (125 kilometers) off the eastern coast, the agency said. The area is 240 miles (380 kilometers) northeast of Tokyo.

In downtown Tokyo, large buildings shook violently and workers poured into the street for safety. TV footage showed a large building on fire and bellowing smoke in the Odaiba district of Tokyo.

Several nuclear plants along the coast were partially shut down, but there were no reports of any radioactive leakage.

In central Tokyo, trains were stopped and passengers walked along the tracks to platforms. NHK said more than 4 million buildings were without power in Tokyo and its suburbs.

The ceiling in Kudan Kaikan, a large hall in Tokyo, collapsed, injuring an unknown number of people, NHK said.

Osamu Akiya, 46, was working in Tokyo at his office in a trading company when the quake hit.

It sent bookshelves and computers crashing to the floor, and cracks appeared in the walls.

"I've been through many earthquakes, but I've never felt anything like this," he said. "I don't know if we'll be able to get home tonight."

Footage on NHK from their Sendai office showed employees stumbling around and books and papers crashing from desks. It also showed a glass shelter at a bus stop in Tokyo completely smashed by the quake and a weeping woman nearby being comforted by another woman.

Several quakes had hit the same region in recent days, including a 7.3 magnitude one on Wednesday.

Thirty minutes after the main quake, tall buildings were still swaying in Tokyo and mobile phone networks were not working. Japan's Coast Guard has set up a task force and officials are standing by for emergency contingencies, Coast Guard official Yosuke Oi said.

"I'm afraid we'll soon find out about damages, since the quake was so strong," he said.

In Tokyo, hundreds of people were evacuated from Shinjuku train station, the world's busiest, to a nearby park. Trains were halted.

Tokyo's main airport was closed. A large section of the ceiling at the 1-year-old airport at Ibaraki, about 50 miles (80 kilometers) northeast of Tokyo, fell to the floor with a powerful crash.

Dozens of fires were reported in northern prefectures of Fukushima, Sendai, Iwate and Ibaraki. Collapsed homes and landslides were also reported in Miyagi.

Japan's worst previous quake was in 1923 in Canto, which killed 143,000 people, according to USGS. An earthquake in Kobe city in 1996 killed 5,502 people.

The North American West Coast Tsunami alert has been upgraded from a watch to a warning.

To: U.S. West Coast, Alaska, and British Columbia coastal regions
From: NOAA/NWS/West Coast and Alaska Tsunami Warning Center
Subject: Tsunami Warning and Advisory #4 issued 03/11/2011 at 12:51AM PST

The warning and advisory status regions have changed in this message.

The Tsunami Warning continues in effect for the coastal areas of California and Oregon from Point Concepcion, California to the Oregon-Washington border.

The Tsunami Warning continues in effect for the coastal areas of Alaska from Amchitka Pass, Alaska (125 miles W of Adak) to Attu, Alaska.

The Tsunami Advisory continues in effect for the coastal areas of California from the California-Mexico border to Point Concepcion, California.

The Tsunami Advisory continues in effect for the coastal areas of Washington, British Columbia and Alaska from the Oregon-Washington border to Amchitka Pass, Alaska (125 miles W of Adak).

A Tsunami Warning means that all coastal residents in the warning area who are near the beach or in low-lying regions should move immediately inland to higher ground and away from all harbors and inlets including those sheltered directly from the sea. Those feeling the earth shake, seeing unusual wave action, or the water level rising or receding may have only a few minutes before the tsunami arrival and should move immediately. Homes and small buildings are not designed to withstand tsunami impacts. Do not stay in these structures.

All residents within the warned area should be alert for instructions broadcast from their local civil authorities. A tsunami has been recorded.

A Tsunami Advisory means that a tsunami capable of producing strong currents or waves dangerous to persons in or very near the water is expected. Significant, widespread inundation is not expected for areas under an advisory. Currents may be hazardous to swimmers, boats, and coastal structures and may continue for several hours after the initial wave arrival.