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Massive earthquake more than 200 km out of the coast of Honshu, Japan – Tsunami warning/advisories canceled

Friday, December 7, 2012 8:51
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(Before It's News)

The best independent earthquake reporting website in the world

Earthquake overview : A massive M7.3 earthquake struck the Honshu, Japan coast , but luckily far out in the sea. Tsunami alert for 1 prefecture and more tsunami advisories for other prefectures was issued
Tell us when you think you have felt this earthquake.
Japan-only earthquake list

Keep this page open to read more details when they become available
Most recent information on top – Start of the article at the bottom
This page refreshes itself every 5 minutes.

Important NOTICE to TWITTER

Our @Quake_Tracker4 account has been suspended by Twitter – WHY ? Please ask Twitter to reopen it again as we cannot communicate . We are not spammers but a LEGITIMATE earthquake informing website as you all know.
Update : Also our account @Quake_Tracker was Suspended by Twitter. It has now being reopened after our Oath that we will not do anything wrong again.  What ? It is not our fault that a major earthquake has occurred in Japan.
The @Quake_Tracker4 remains suspended and we are requesting your help in sending twitter a notice in support of us. Thank you

-

Good to know and proud to communicate it :
Even before the first I Have Felt It report arrived at our desk,  we received a mention of our just programmed EEDS (Early Earthquake Detection System). This alert arrived in our office at 08:22 UTC, barely 4 minutes after the earthquake occurred. Taking into account that the earthquake needed a number of seconds before it generated shaking at the coast and further inland, the time in between the end of the shaking and our detection is max. 1 minute.  This astonishing short notice (USGS email arrived 16 minutes after the earthquake) is thanks to ou our readers.
Of course we have no earthquake data at that time, but the first IHFI (or Experience) reports are telling us a lot more within a couple of minutes more.
Next step : Calibrating and further refining of the data to enable an immediate posting of a preliminary earthquake row in the database and showing that we presumably noticed an earthquake, facilitating to capture of I Have Felt It reports even sooner.
We would appreciate a small donation (via the buttons at right) to assist ER in further calibrating and refining this tool. A rollout can be expected within short term.

Update 12:52 UTC : A lot of Japanese people living on the east Honshu coastline and a little inland will have to spend un uncomfortable night because of the aftershocks and the risk on a few major aftershocks.
A similar earthquake as today occurred last year a couple of  days before the major M8.9 Tohoku earthquake which killed thousands of people because of a massive tsunami. There is NO reason whatsoever to expect the same scenario, but as earthquakes are unpredictable in timing, Magnitude and epicenter location, no guarantee can be made.

Important update 11:20 UTC :  All Tsunami Warnings/Advisories have been cancelled.

Update 11:16 UTC : 5 people taken to the hospital in Miyagi prefecture with injuries following , none serious. The latest and probably final Tsunami gauges measurements below :

Image courtesy JMA Japan

Update 10:13 UTC : The Tsunami Warning and Advisories are still in place in Japan. So far the JMA Gauges have measured the following level changes :

Information courtesy JMA Japan

Update 10:00 UTC : A shaking video recoreded by a security camera at Fukushima

 

Update 09:34 UTC : We are very grateful that so many Japanese readers started to send their experience reports to Earthquake-Report.com, almost as soon as the shaking stopped. We are proud to serve the worldwide community with your help.

Update 09:34 UTC : Tsunami warning and tsunami advisories are still in place at the various prefectures. Ofunate at Iwaki prefecture has received tsunami waves of 20 cm. We maintain our expectation as a narrow escape os a damaging tsunami.

Update 09:27 UTC : The area most at risk was Miyagi prefecture. Reports from the area indicate a tsunami of 1 meter (expected scenario from JMA was 0.5 to 2 meters in that area). If this would be the maximum, thats would have been a narrow escape of damage.
We are however not sure at all about this as tsunamis are really different from area to area, even in the same prefecture.

Update 09:05 UTC : Tokyo Electric says there is no problem with cooling system at Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant after Japan quake.

Update 09:03 UTC : Japanese 5 lower scale generally correlates to a Intensity VII in the MMI scale used worldwide. This could cause significant damage inland. The pattern of intensity seems to be very similar to that of the 2011 Tohoku quake however around 2.5 MMI points, and 1.4 JMA points lower.

Update 08:58 UTC : The tsunami (if triggered) will not coincide with high tide (with this occurring at 9:30pm Japanese time) and the tsunami due to hit around 6.30pm. This should only be a localised tsunami. With already damaged buildings from the 2011 Tohoku earthquake, the shaking may collapse some buildings.

Update 08:53 UTC : The mainshock is being followed by multiple strong aftershocks which go above M6 (which is already considered as a major earthquake)

Important update 08:44 UTC : The max. shaking intensity as reported by Japan Seismological Institute should be 5-, which is just below the value we are seeing as very dangerous for damage and injuries.
Please subscribe to one of our twitter accounts below @Quake_Tracker4 will suit most of you. Direct link to these pages, very fast and also (unique) Exps from people who felt the earthquake.

Update 08:41 UTC : we will soon start an in-depth article on what is happening but this information is the essential at this point.

Update 08:235 UTC : Based on the data what we see at the moment, the epicenter is reported as far out of the coast which eliminates a lot of danger for shaking devastation.
Tsunami danger remains as indicated below and untill green alert is given again.
People on Honshu are reporting us a very strong shaking, which does not necessary has to lead to a lot of damage.
Based on our experience, a large Tohoku style tsunami should not be expected, but is is wise to look for higher grounds as people in Japan do know very well.

Update : Magnitude as measured by JMA Japan is M7.3

A Tsunami warning is in place for Miyagi prefecture

We have received an alert of a strong hike in visitors from Japan .
At this moment we have no data yet as the Japanese seismological service  cannot be reached, which is normally due to massive readership
Based on an increasing number of visitors joining us from Japan, we believe that an earthquake was felt. When you are one of the people who experienced this earthquake, please fill in the form behind “I Felt A (not Listed) Earthquake”. Thank you.

Image courtesy JMA Japan

Most important Earthquake Data:
Magnitude : 7.3 (JMA Japan)
UTC Time : 2012-12-07 08:18:24 UTC
Local time at epicenter : 2012-12-07 18:18:24 UTC+10:00 at epicenter
Depth (Hypocenter) : 10 km (JMA Japan)
Geo-location(s) :
245km (152mi) SE of Kamaishi, Japan
245km (152mi) ESE of Ofunato, Japan
251km (156mi) ESE of Ishinomaki, Japan
251km (156mi) SE of Otsuchi, Japan
462km (287mi) ENE of Tokyo, Japan

Links to important maps
JMA Did You Feel It Map
Google satellite map showing the epicenter and the surrounding area
Historic earthquakes map
Shaking map
Scientific parameters
Human impact map
JMA tsunami report

SUPERFAST earthquake NOTIFICATION TWEETS up to your own MAGNITUDE choice

Click here for examples of our “earthquake notifications (button below)”

SRC Location UTC Date/time M D INFORMATION
USGS Off The East Coast Of Honshu, Japan Dec 07 15:15 PM 5.0 35.8 MAP I Felt It
GEOFON Off East Coast Of Honshu, Japan Dec 07 15:15 PM 4.9 10.0 MAP I Felt It
EMSC Off East Coast Of Honshu, Japan Dec 07 15:15 PM 5.0 20.0 MAP I Felt It
EMSC Off East Coast Of Honshu, Japan Dec 07 14:32 PM 4.7 27.0 MAP I Felt It
USGS Off The East Coast Of Honshu, Japan Dec 07 14:32 PM 4.7 35.0 MAP I Felt It
GEOFON Off East Coast Of Honshu, Japan Dec 07 14:32 PM 4.5 23.0 MAP I Felt It
USGS Off The East Coast Of Honshu, Japan Dec 07 12:58 PM 5.0 34.9 MAP I Felt It
EMSC Off East Coast Of Honshu, Japan Dec 07 12:58 PM 5.0 35.0 MAP I Felt It
GEOFON Off East Coast Of Honshu, Japan Dec 07 12:58 PM 5.1 35.0 MAP I Felt It
USGS Off The East Coast Of Honshu, Japan Dec 07 12:48 PM 4.8 35.1 MAP I Felt It
EMSC Off East Coast Of Honshu, Japan Dec 07 12:48 PM 4.8 39.0 MAP I Felt It
GEOFON Off East Coast Of Honshu, Japan Dec 07 12:48 PM 5.0 35.0 MAP I Felt It
GEOFON Off East Coast Of Honshu, Japan Dec 07 12:47 PM 4.6 26.0 MAP I Felt It
EMSC Near East Coast Of Honshu, Japan Dec 07 12:34 PM 4.7 42.0 MAP I Felt It
GEOFON Off East Coast Of Honshu, Japan Dec 07 12:33 PM 4.7 40.0 MAP I Felt It
USGS Off The East Coast Of Honshu, Japan Dec 07 12:33 PM 4.7 34.9 MAP I Felt It
USGS Off The East Coast Of Honshu, Japan Dec 07 12:05 PM 5.0 35.0 MAP I Felt It
EMSC Off East Coast Of Honshu, Japan Dec 07 12:05 PM 5.0 43.0 MAP I Felt It
GEOFON Off East Coast Of Honshu, Japan Dec 07 12:05 PM 4.9 34.0 MAP I Felt It
USGS Off The East Coast Of Honshu, Japan Dec 07 09:56 AM 4.6 35.0 MAP I Felt It
EMSC Off East Coast Of Honshu, Japan Dec 07 09:56 AM 4.6 35.0 MAP I Felt It
USGS Off The East Coast Of Honshu, Japan Dec 07 09:23 AM 4.8 35.1 MAP I Felt It
GEOFON Off East Coast Of Honshu, Japan Dec 07 09:23 AM 5.1 28.0 MAP I Felt It
EMSC Off East Coast Of Honshu, Japan Dec 07 09:23 AM 4.9 23.0 MAP I Felt It
EMSC Off East Coast Of Honshu, Japan Dec 07 09:13 AM 4.8 38.0 MAP I Felt It
USGS Off The East Coast Of Honshu, Japan Dec 07 09:13 AM 4.7 35.1 MAP I Felt It
GEOFON Off East Coast Of Honshu, Japan Dec 07 09:13 AM 5.0 29.0 MAP I Felt It
EMSC Off East Coast Of Honshu, Japan Dec 07 09:01 AM 4.7 35.0 MAP I Felt It
USGS Off The East Coast Of Honshu, Japan Dec 07 09:01 AM 4.7 35.3 MAP I Felt It
USGS Off The East Coast Of Honshu, Japan Dec 07 08:48 AM 5.5 34.8 MAP I Felt It
EMSC Off East Coast Of Honshu, Japan Dec 07 08:48 AM 5.5 30.0 MAP I Felt It
GEOFON Off East Coast Of Honshu, Japan Dec 07 08:48 AM 5.4 22.0 MAP I Felt It
USGS Off The East Coast Of Honshu, Japan Dec 07 08:31 AM 6.2 29.2 MAP I Felt It
EMSC Off East Coast Of Honshu, Japan Dec 07 08:31 AM 6.2 30.0 MAP I Felt It
GEOFON Off East Coast Of Honshu, Japan Dec 07 08:31 AM 6.1 26.0 MAP I Felt It
USGS Off The East Coast Of Honshu, Japan Dec 07 08:18 AM 7.3 36.1 MAP I Felt It
EMSC Off East Coast Of Honshu, Japan Dec 07 08:18 AM 7.3 30.0 MAP I Felt It
USGS Off The East Coast Of Honshu, Japan Dec 07 08:18 AM 7.3 33.0 MAP I Felt It
  • Tokyo - Just woke me up
  • Fukushima, Japan - Very long quake
  • Yokosuka Japan - just felt a very strong and long Quake here in Yokosuka
  • hitachi-omiya - first big one for me. was kinda scary
  • Shin-Maruyama, Japan - Shook our building pretty good.
  • Yokosuka, Japan - I felt light shaking for approximately 2 minutes.
  • Tokyo Narita airport - Narita airport @ 1720 local time
  • Numata, Gunma - Very long quake. one minute or so of shaking.
  • Tokyo - OMG!
  • Hirakawacho, Chiyoda-ku - At Kiocho Hirakawacho, Chiyoda-ku, Chiyoda Building Shaking
  • hyatt regency hotel tokyo shinjuku - big one ; this morning it was a small one ; les hauts parleurs de l'hotel ont dit que le batiment était safe ; ça tanguait de partout et ça grinçait ; pendant longtemps.... au moins deux minutes ou plus ; ça m'a donné le mal de mer !
  • Nagoya Aichi Japan - it last for like 10-15 secs
  • Tamurashi, Fukushima - Very long quake with a little aftershock about 5 minutes later. Large enough to send the students outside!
  • Ofuna - Scary!
  • tokyo - scared again same as last last mar 11 but this is not as strong
  • Yokosuka - when it started strong and kept going I knew it was going to be bad.
  • Ｓｅｎｄａｉ - Very heavy. But the buildings are safe.
  • Kanagawa Japan - The train was jiggeling throughout, as if something was shaking it. It ladted about 30 seconds.
  • shibuya, tokyo, hotel near jr station - light shaking, curtains swaying, towels on rack swaying gently....for about two minutes at around 17:20
  • Shinjuku - The earthquake lasted for more than a minute it moved from side to side. It was strong but not violent earthquake.
  • Shibuya - Strong shaking woke me up.
  • Hitachinaka - 1 minute of shaking strong shaking. inside building in Hitachinaka measured with peak magnitude of 5.
  • Tokyo - Capitol hotel Tokyo. Much bigger than this morning. Strong shaking for ~ 15 secs. Then building was swaying for a while (elevator out of service)
  • Hakone, Japan - long wavelength shaking for about 3 minutes, at 17:20. not strong enough to shake anything off of a table, etc.
  • Yokohama, Japan - We're at the 18th Floor of our building so we felt our building sway, for approx 2 mins.
  • atsugi - :
  • Tokyo - (Long lasting earthquake, side to side motion, not up and down. Started out slow, almost not noticeable except for queasy feeling, liek the beginnings of motion sickness, then doors and window rattled slightly and died down then continued to build up until whole house was shaking. Then slowly tapered off. not sure of magnitude but definitely strong.
  • Zama-shi, Kanagawa-ken - It wasn't too bad, nothing fell or broke.
  • yokosuka, Japan - my room was shacking... trippy!
  • Kanagawa,Japan - Long Quake but not as strong as last years.
  • Tokyo - felt like sitting in a ship
  • Tamagawa - Lasted more than a minute. Building, floor, and windows shook noticeably.
  • Saginuma, Kasasaki-shi, Japan - I felt it for about a minute; it seemed to gain in intensity with time, just the March 11 quake did. Not so scary as to make me leave the house, though.
  • Hachioji - Strong shaking (on the 5th floor) for over 2 minutes. No danger, but there are some new cracks in the tiles of the hallway.
  • Minamirokugo, Ota, Tokyo, Japan - lasted a good 30 seconds or more. a rolling feeling
  • Tochigiken - About a minute of shaking, but no damage.
  • Kuki-shi, saitama - Strong shaking which increased to very strong shaking which caused some panic at the train station, but no damage.
  • Ayase, Kanagawa Perfecture - The light fixtures, paintings, mirrors were all shaking. The Christmas tree swayed endlessly. You could feel the ground shaking a lot under your feet.
  • Tokyo - whole hotel swaying and windows rattled on the 12 th floor of Excel hotel , Shibuya Tokyo
  • Dake, Nihonmatsu - The beeper on the car went off, we pulled over and the shaking began. It seemed that we had about 15 to 20 seconds' noticed. The shaking got stronger and lasted maybe a minute.
  • Tokyo - After about 10 seconds of smaller shake, there was a bigger waves came and lasted for about 30 seconds. We knew it was bigger one than usual, then. I was on the 7th floor at the office in Tokyo. Nothing fell or no damages have been reported around.
  • Tokyo, Japan - My hotel bed on the 7th floor was shaking around 5:33am, for a few seconds.
  • Zama - Moderate shaking, low frequency, long duration, 2 minutes
  • Chiba - Shaking for long time.
  • [email protected] - i am in utsunoyia ninimatshi meahusu i felt the earthquake after an alert of my phone range with the urigent news alert
  • Honshu - House Shook Rattled and Rolled! Nothing fell off the walls but it was enough to keep us rattled for more than an hour.
  • Tokyo - We live in a Central Tokyo location and items in our home swayed and shook but nothing fell over. This was the longest-lasting and strongest earthquake we've felt since living here for a little over a year.
    		•
    GEOFON Off East Coast Of Honshu, Japan Dec 07 08:18 AM 7.3 33.0 MAP I Felt It

    a

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    Your current location
    MMI II (Very weak shaking) ?
    People :
    Felt by persons at rest, on upper floors or favorably placed.
    MMI III (Weak shaking) ?
    People :
    Felt indoors; hanging objects may swing, vibration similar to passing of light trucks, duration may be estimated, may not be recognized as an earthquake.
    MMI IV (Light shaking) ?
    People :
    Generally noticed indoors but not outside. Light sleepers may be awakened. Vibration may be likened to the passing of heavy traffic, or to the jolt of a heavy object falling or striking the building.
    Fittings :
    Doors and windows rattle. Glassware and crockery rattle. Liquids in open vessels may be slightly disturbed. Standing motorcars may rock.
    Structures :
    Walls and frames of buildings, and partitions and suspended ceilings in commercial buildings, may be heard to creak.
    MMI V (Moderate shaking) ?
    People :
    Generally felt outside, and by almost everyone indoors. Most sleepers awakened. A few people alarmed.
    Fittings :
    Small unstable objects are displaced or upset. Some glassware and crockery may be broken. Hanging pictures knock against the wall. Open doors may swing. Cupboard doors secured by magnetic catches may open. Pendulum clocks stop, start, or change rate.
    Structures :
    Some large display windows cracked. A few earthenware toilet fixtures cracked.
    MMI VI (Strong shaking) ?
    People Felt by all. People and animals alarmed. Many run outside. Difficulty experienced in walking steadily.
    Fittings :
    Objects fall from shelves. Pictures fall from walls. Some furniture moved on smooth floors, some unsecured free-standing fireplaces moved. Glassware and crockery broken. Very unstable furniture overturned. Small church and school bells ring. Appliances move on bench or table tops. Filing cabinets or "easy glide" drawers may open (or shut).
    Structures :
    Slight damage to buildings with low standard. Some stucco or cement plaster falls. Large display windows broken. Damage to a few weak domestic chimneys, some may fall.
    Environment :
    Trees and bushes shake, or are heard to rustle. Loose material may be dislodged from sloping ground, e.g. existing slides, talus slopes, shingle slides.
    MMI VII (Very strong shaking) ?
    People
    General alarm. Difficulty experienced in standing. Noticed by motorcar drivers who may stop.
    Fittings :
    Large bells ring. Furniture moves on smooth floors, may move on carpeted floors. Substantial damage to fragile contents of buildings.
    Structures :
    Unreinforced stone and brick walls cracked. Low standard buildings cracked with some minor masonry falls. A few instances of damage to buildings of ordinary workmanship. Unbraced parapets, unbraced brick gables, and architectural ornaments fall. Roofing tiles, especially ridge tiles may be dislodged. Many unreinforced domestic chimneys damaged, often falling from roof-line. Water tanks Type I burst. A few instances of damage to brick veneers and plaster or cement-based linings. Unrestrained water cylinders (hot-water cylinders) may move and leak. Some common windows cracked. Suspended ceilings damaged.
    Environment :
    Water made turbid by stirred up mud. Small slides such as falls of sand and gravel banks, and small rock-falls from steep slopes and cuttings. Instances of settlement of unconsolidated or wet, or weak soils. Some fine cracks appear in sloping ground. A few instances of liquefaction (i.e. small water and sand ejections).
    MMI VIII (Severe shaking) ?
    People Alarm may approach panic. Steering of motorcars greatly affected. Structures : Low standard buildings heavily damaged, some collapse. ordinary workmanship buildings damaged, some with partial collapse. Reinforced masonry or concrete buildings damaged in some cases. A few instances of damage to buildings and bridges designed and built to resist earthquakes. Monuments and pre-1976 elevated tanks and factory stacks twisted or brought down. Some pre-1965 infill masonry panels damaged. A few post-1980 brick veneers damaged. Decayed timber piles of houses damaged. Houses not secured to foundations may move. Most unreinforced domestic chimneys damaged, some below roof-line, many brought down. Environment : Cracks appear on steep slopes and in wet ground. Small to moderate slides in roadside cuttings and unsupported excavations. Small water and sand ejections and localized lateral spreading adjacent to streams, canals, lakes, etc.
    MMI IX (Violent shaking) ?
    Structures Many low standard buildings destroyed. Ordinary workmanship buildings heavily damaged, some collapse. Reinforced masonry or concrete buildings damaged, some with partial collapse. Buildings and bridges designed and built to resist earthquakes damaged in some cases, some with flexible frames seriously damaged. Damage or permanent distortion to some buildings and bridges, designed and built to normal use standards. Houses not secured to foundations shifted off. Brick veneers fall and expose frames. Environment : Cracking of ground conspicuous. Landsliding general on steep slopes. Liquefaction effects intensified and more widespread, with large lateral spreading and flow sliding adjacent to streams, canals, lakes, etc.
    Write your experience and/or additional text here (max. 500 characters)


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