8.3 Quake Hits Japan - Tsunami Warning Issued

Tsunami watch issued for Hawaii

Associated Press
HONOLULU - The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center issued a tsunami watch Friday for Hawaii after a 8.3-magnitude earthquake in the northern Pacific.

The center said the waves could reach the shores of the islands just after midnight Hawaii Standard Time.

Japan's Meteorological Agency issued tsunami warnings following the quake. The agency said waves as high as 3.3 feet could hit the northeastern coast of Japan's northern island of Hokkaido.

Officials in towns along Japan's Pacific coast issued evacuation orders to flee to higher ground.

The quake struck about 310 miles east of the Etorofu islands between northern Japan and Russia, the agency said.

There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage from the quake.

Tsunami waves - generated by earthquakes - are often barely noticeable in the ocean but can rise to great heights once they arrive at shore.

Tsunami warning issued for coastal Alaska

By DAN JOLING
The Associated Press

Published: January 12, 2007
Last Modified: January 12, 2007 at 08:59 PM


Officials issued a tsunami warning for parts of Alaska on Friday night after an 8.3-magnitude earthquake struck in the northern Pacific. The quake at 7:23 Alaska time was east of the Kuril Islands northeast of Japan. The West Coast and Alaska Tsunami Warning Center said it was not immediately known if a tsunami was generated. But it issued a warning for the western Aleutians Islands from the villages of Nikolski to Adak and warned that people in low-lying coastal areas should remain alert to instructions from local emergency officials. Adak is a community of 167 about 1,300 miles southwest of Anchorage. Nikolski is a village of 31 about 900 miles southwest of Anchorage. The warning center issued a tsunami watch for the rest of the Aleutians and coastal areas along southcentral Alaska to Seward. If a tsunami was generated, the center warned, the first waves would reach Dutch Harbor at 11:41 p.m. and Kodiak Island by 1:12 a.m. Saturday. The center also warned that tsunamis are a series of waves potentially dangerous several hours after initial arrival time.

NOAA: tsunami warning is in effect
Article Last Updated: 01/12/2007 08:45:35 PM AKST


A tsunami warning is in effect which includes the Alaska coastal areas from Nikolski Alaska to Attu Alaska.
A tsunami watch is in effect for the British Columbia and Alaska coastal areas from the north tip of Vancouver I., British Columbia to Nikolski Alaska.

At this time this message is advisory only for other areas of California -Oregon - Washington - and British Columbia.

A tsunami warning means 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 evacuate 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. This tsunami warning is based solely on earthquake information - the tsunami has not yet been confirmed.

A tsunami watch means all coastal residents in the watch area should prepare for possible evacuation. A tsunami watch is issued to areas, which will not be impacted by the tsunami for at least three hours. Watch areas will either be upgraded to warning status or canceled.

At 8:24 p.m. Pacific Standard Time on January 12, an earthquake with preliminary magnitude 8.2 occurred east of the Kuril Islands Russia.

This earthquake may have generated a tsunami. If a tsunami has been generated the waves will first reach Shemya Alaska at 9:35 p.m. AKST on January 12.

Estimated tsunami arrival times and maps along with safety rules and other information can be found on the Web site wcatwc.arh.noaa.gov.

Tsunamis can be dangerous waves that are not survivable. Wave heights are amplified by irregular shoreline and are difficult to predict. Tsunamis often appear as a strong surge and may be preceded by a receding water level. Mariners in water deeper than 600 feet should not be affected by a tsunami. Wave heights will increase rapidly as water shallows.Tsunamis are a series of ocean waves which can be dangerous for several hours after the initial wave arrival. Do not return to evacuated areas until an all clear is given by local civil authorities.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Ewa Beach Hawaii will issue messages for Hawaii and other areas of the Pacific outside California/ Oregon/ Washington/ British Columbia and Alaska.

Additional messages will be issued every half hour or sooner if conditions warrant. This tsunami warning and watch will remain in effect until further notice.

No casualties in Japan.

USGS earthquake

google earth image

tsunami warnings

More info from USGS:

Tectonic Summary
The Kuril Islands earthquake of January 13, 2007, occurred as normal-faulting in the Pacific plate near the boundary between the Pacific plate and the Okhotsk plate. In the region of the earthquake's epicenter, the Pacific plate moves northwest with respect to the Okhotsk plate with a velocity of about 90 mm/year. The Pacific plate subducts beneath the Okhotsk plate at the Kuril Trench and becomes progressively deeper to the northwest, remaining seismically active to a depth of 680 km. The January 13 earthquake occurred approximately 95 km ESE of an M8.3 earthquake that occurred on November 15, 2006. The November 15 earthquake is the largest earthquake to have occurred in the central Kuril Islands since the early 20th century. A central Kuril Islands earthquake in 1915 is estimated to have had a magnitude of about 8. The central Kuril Islands commonly experiences one or more shocks of magnitude 6 or greater in a decade. To the southwest, the southern Kuril Islands chain experienced a magnitude 8.5 earthquake in 1963. To the northeast, a magnitude 9 earthquake occurred offshore of Kamchatka in 1952.

Small wave hits northeastern Japan after quake

Tokyo, Jan. 13 (AP): Japan's Meteorological Agency said Saturday that a 10 centimeter (4 inch) wave hit Nemuro in northeastern Japan following a powerful earthquake in the Pacific Ocean.

A 8.3 magnitude earthquake struck off Japan's northern coast in the Pacific on Saturday, sparking tsunami warnings and sending thousands of residents along the archipelago's eastern coast fleeing to higher ground, officials said.

The first wave hit the shore of Nemuro on the east coast of Japan's northern island of Hokkaido more than an hour after the quake and after officials detected a fall in the level of the tide, a sign a tsunami was approaching.

Japan's Meteorological Agency had predicted waves as high as one-meter (3.3-feet) could hit the northeastern coast of Japan's main island of Hokkaido around 2 p.m. (0500 GMT), but as the appointed time past, most areas said there had been no visible changes to the sea level.

http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/001200701131223.htm

We all dodged a bullet yet again.

If you get a chance tomorrow, watch the USGS animated maps for quakes in the last 10 days. Interesting stuff.

Dodged the bullet is right. That was a big quake.

Glad to hear that Satt.

Source

All clear signal given for Pacific rim, with cautions...

Butrflynet
Butrflynet, I think its time for you to move to Albuquerque. The Pacific rim is boogieing too much lately.

BBB

Re: 8.3 Quake Hits Japan - Tsunami Warning Issued


3.3 feet??? Damn, I look for better waves when I'm surfing! Is Mother Nature cutting down on expenses? She can do better than that!

It's not just the height, it's the force.

As in, regular 3-ft wave crashes and breaks at the shore line. Tsunami 3-ft wave doesn't stop at the shore line, but goes swooshing in quite far, mangling everything in its path. It won't crash over people's heads necessarily but they can still get sucked in and drown, or just pummeled to death by all the rest of the debris since they won't be able to keep their footing and stay above it.

I'm happy to hear everythings ok. I had NO idea that there were so many earth quakes happening on any given day.

If you're referring to the USGS World Map, yeah, there are hundreds! And they only plot the ones that are greater than 3.0. Take a look at the US map by clicking on the link to the left there. That version shows all quakes. Sometimes the dots are so thick it looks like one huge blob on the Pacific Rim in some places.

The rest of the US isn't immune to them either, they're just mostly very small ones.

I love watching the animation maps. You get a feel for how it is all connected. The geologists swear that quake events aren't connected, but you sure see it in the animations.