Japan Tsunami Warnings Cancelled

Japan Tsunami Warnings Cancelled

    
 
January 2007  - A tsunami warning that 
was in effect for Japan and Russia after a massive undersea 
earthquake shook the Pacific Ocean northeast of Japan this 
afternoon has been cancelled. 
The earthquake was measured at a magnitude of 8.3 by the Japan 
Meteorological Agency and at a magnitude of 8.4 by the Pacific 
Tsunami Warning Center in Honolulu, Hawaii operated by the 
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, NOAA. 
The earthquake was recorded at a depth of 30 kilometers 
beneath the floor of the northwestern Pacific Ocean near a 
feature called the Chishima Trench. 
But the largest wave reported was a 16 inch tidal swell that 
hit the shores of Chichi-jima, a Pacific island 620 miles 
south of Tokyo, about three hours after the quake. 
The large orange box represents the latest earthquake. The 
smaller yellow boxes represent earthquakes that occurred 
within the past seven days. (Map courtesy USGS) 
The quake's epicenter was 500 kilometers (310 miles) east of 
Etorofu, the largest of a disputed four island chain known as 
the Northern Territories in Japan and the Kuril islands in 
Russia. 
A one meter (three foot) tsunami wave was expected to hit the 
Pacific coast of Hokkaido Island and also the island's Okhotsk 
Sea coast. 
An evacuation advisory was issued to households in 14 
municipalities and thousands of Hokkaido residents gathered at 
community centers. But the largest wave was a 16 inch tidal 
swell that hit the shores of Chichi-jima, a Pacific island 620 
miles south of Tokyo. 
A tsunami advisory, weaker than a warning, was issued for most 
of Japan's eastern coast, the Japan Meteorological Agency 
said. 
NOAA's West Coast and Alaska Tsunami Warning Center in Palmer, 
Alaska issued a tsunami warning for Alaska coastal areas in 
the Aleutian Islands chain from Dutch Harbor to Attu. 
A tsunami watch was in effect for the British Columbia and 
Alaska coastal areas from the north tip of Vancouver Island, 
British Columbia to Dutch Harbor, Alaska. 
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center posted a tsunami warning 
for Russia, Japan, and the Pacific islands of Marcus, Wake, 
Midway and the Northern Maraianas. 
A tsunami watch was posted for Taiwan, the Philippines, 
Indonesia, Hawaii, and the Pacific islands including Papua New 
Guinea. 
An earthquake of this size has the potential to generate a 
destructive tsunami that can strike coastlines near the 
epicenter within minutes and more distant coastlines within 
hours, meteorologists in Hawaii said.