7.3-magnitude earthquake hits northeast of Japan

A strong earthquake shook northeastern Japan early Friday, the U.S. Geological Survey said, and a tsunami warning was issued.

The temblor registered a magnitude 7.3 at 5:18 p.m. local time (3:18 a.m. ET), according to the USGS. According to the agency, the quake struck about 200 miles southeast of Kamaishi.

http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/...itude-earthquake-hits-northeast-of-japan?lite

I just read it was in the same region that was hit in March of last year. Those poor people.

Oh no.

A one metre-high tsunami hit northeast Japan on Friday, after a powerful undersea quake struck off the coast that was devastated in last year’s quake-tsunami disaster.

Meteorologists said the wave swept ashore at just after 6 p.m. local time (4 a.m. EST) in Ishinomaki, a city badly hit by the 2011 tsunami that wrecked a large swathe of the northeast coast, killing thousands.

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http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news...pan-after-powerful-earthquake/article6077765/

Thank God the tsunami wasn't big...I feel soooo badly for the Japanese. They've been through sooooo much so fast. Same with the people of New Zealand, with Christchurch. And Chile. And all the rest.

I am telling you all...the tectonic plates are moving. I worry for those folks on the New Madrid faults, and of course all the west coast too. Like me.

Sigh.

Best-
Herding Cats

What a nightmare for the Japanese people. It's like 12/21/12 is focused on this island....geez. Something is going on with mother earth over there and you know it has to be effecting other areas somewhere. The fault or crevice near there is the deepest...like 35,000 ft deep. I'd be watching the one on the east coast near Puerto Rico. imo

Mariana Trench - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

My biggest worry is Fukushima.
I hope the plants ok!

I also hope this isn't another foreshock. There was a 7.0 a day or so before the big 9 pointer back in 2011.

buffetoflies said:

My biggest worry is Fukushima.
I hope the plants ok!

I also hope this isn't another foreshock. There was a 7.0 a day or so before the big 9 pointer back in 2011.

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IIRC, the 7 was 50 hours before the 9, and is indeed a foreshock. There has been some chatter that this quake is NOT in the aftershock series, which can go on for years, but is it's own eq. Not been determined yet, though, so it could still be considered an aftershock of the 3/11 quake.

What is scientifically interesting and personally frightening, is that there HAS been an uptick in large EQs over the last few years, and, what I'm starting to see are quakes in places that I'm not used to seeing them...like today, in Texas. Or two days ago, in Colorado. There is a huge amount of energy which is being displaced from the west and the south, and I have my concerns that the New Madrid is starting to "wake" a bit.

I am also (as always) worried about the entire west coast - from Alaska down through northern Mexico...between the Cascadia subduction fault and the San Andreas fault (both of which are the east/northeast aspects of the "Ring of Fire") both are receiving a ton of pressure.

I just don't like all this energy moving around and changing locations like it is. It's just unnerving.

Best-
Herding Cats

ETA: The area I'm refering to around the New Madrid is called the North American Creton, and if you google a pix of it, you'll see how clearly some recent "oddly placed" quakes (like the Texas one, eg) are lining the edge of that area.