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ALERT: mb 8.2 HOKKAIDO, JAPAN, REGION 25/09/2003 19:50 (UTC) |
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9/25/2003
Over 700 INJURED - 41,000 EVACUATE - 1 DEATHS REPORTED
2ND QUAKE - 5.8
3RD QUAKE - 5.9
4TH QUAKE 6.5
5TH QUAKE - 5.9
6th QUAKE - 6.2
7th QUAKE - 6.0
8th QUAKE - 5.7
9th QUAKE - 6.5
10th QUAKE - 4.8
11th QUAKE - 5.6
12th QUAKE - 6.1
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Japan is one of the world's most seismically active areas, with an earthquake
occurring every five minutes.
Aftershocks expected for at least 10 days
Japan Earthquake Raised to 8.2 Magnitude...09/25/09
Aftershocks of 7.5 mag. , 7.0 mag. , and 6.7 magnitude continue to rumble
and roll after the largest reported earthquake of this century occurred earlier
today. Fear of "tsunami's " continue.
USGS reports "A great earthquake occurred IN THE HOKKAIDO, JAPAN REGION about
105 km (65 miles) south-southwest of Kushiro or 800 km (495 miles)
north-northwest of Tokyo at 1:50 PM MDT, Sep 25, 2003 (Sep 26 at 4:50 AM
local time in Japan). The magnitude and location may be revised when additional
data and further analysis results are available. No reports of damage or
casualties have been received at this time; however, this earthquake may
have caused damage due to its location and size."
Tsunami Warnings:
A regional tsunami was observed at the following sites: 1) Hanasaki, Japan
@ 7.0 feet. 2) Urakawa, Japan @ 4.9 feet.
3) Ofunato, Japan @ 1.64 feet 4) Kamaishi, Japan @ 3.3 feet.
Evaluation: No tsunami danger exists for Alaska, British Columbia, Washington,
Oregon, or California. However, some areas may experience small sea level
changes. As local conditions can cause a wide variation in tsunami wave action.
The "all clear" determinations must be made by local authorities.
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PACIFIC TSUNAMI WARNING
CENTER
Centre Sismologique
Euro-Mediterraneen European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre
Rapid Determination
of Source Parameters operated at LDG (Paris) and IGN (Madrid)
*********************************************************************
*********************** ALERT MESSAGE
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*********************************************************************
WARNING : These parameters are preliminary and subject to revision.
Location and magnitude estimations may be revised if necessary in
an INFORMATION message.
_____________________________________________________________________
EARTHQUAKE on 25/09/2003 at 19:50 (UTC)
HOKKAIDO, JAPAN, REGION
MAGNITUDE: mb 7.0
Data provided by: BUC GFZ INGV LDG LED NEWS ODC
RNS SED
Latitude = 42.65 N
Longitude = 144.07 E
Origin Time = 19:50:10.5 (UTC)
Depth = 33 Km
RMS = 0.58 sec
Gap = 322 degrees
95% confidence ellipse: - Semi major = 34.9 Km
- Semi minor = 21.2 Km
- Azimuth of major axis = 155 degrees
Number of data used = 216
Preliminary location computed on Thu Sep 25 20:24:43 2003 (UTC)
Done by Remy Bossu
Comments : The magnitude may be underestimates. In this case a revision
message will be sent
All magnitudes estimations :
mb5.9 (BUC) mb6.8 (GFZ) M 7.0 (INGV) M 6.7
(INGV)
mb6.5 (LDG) mb6.9 (LED) mb7.2 (ODC)
mb6.5 (RNS) mb6.7 (SED)
P.S.: For additional information, please contact EMSC at:
- Email:
mazet@emsc-csem.org
- Web :
http://www.emsc-csem.org
- Fax : 33 1 69 26
70 00
Magnitude 8.0 - HOKKAIDO, JAPAN REGION
2003 September 25 19:50:08 UTC
Preliminary Earthquake Report
U.S. Geological Survey, National Earthquake Information Center
World Data Center for Seismology, Denver
A great earthquake occurred at 19:50:08 (UTC) on Thursday, September 25,
2003. The magnitude 8.0 event has been located in the HOKKAIDO, JAPAN REGION.
(This event has been reviewed by a seismologist.)
Magnitude 8.0
Date-Time Thursday, September 25, 2003 at 19:50:08 (UTC)
= Coordinated Universal Time
Friday, September 26, 2003 at 4:50:08 AM
= local time at epicenter
Time of Earthquake in other Time Zones
Location 42.171°N, 143.719°E
Depth 33 km (21 miles) set by location program
Region HOKKAIDO, JAPAN REGION
Distances
105 km (65 miles) SSW of Kushiro, Hokkaido, Japan
210 km (130 miles) SSE of Asahikawa, Hokkaido, Japan
800 km (495 miles) NNE of TOKYO, Japan
7140 km (4430 miles) NE of MOSCOW, Russia
Location Uncertainty horizontal +/- 8.3 km (5.2 miles); depth fixed by location
program
Parameters Nst=123, Nph=123, Dmin=537.2 km, Rmss=1.09 sec, Gp= 50°,
M-type=moment magnitude (Mw), Version=7
Source USGS NEIC (WDCS-D)
The following is a release by the United States Geological Survey, National
Earthquake Information Center: A great earthquake occurred IN THE HOKKAIDO,
JAPAN REGION about 105 km (65 miles) south-southwest of Kushiro or 800 km
(495 miles) north-northwest of Tokyo at 1:50 PM MDT, Sep 25, 2003 (Sep 26
at 4:50 AM local time in Japan).
The magnitude and location may be revised when additional data and further
analysis results are available. No reports of damage or casualties have been
received at this time; however, this earthquake may have caused damage due
to its location and size.
TSUNAMI BULLETIN NUMBER 002
PACIFIC TSUNAMI WARNING CENTER
1027 AM HST 25 SEP 2003
TO - CIVIL DEFENSE IN THE STATE OF HAWAII
SUBJECT - TSUNAMI ADVISORY BULLETIN
A TSUNAMI ADVISORY CONTINUES IN EFFECT FOR THE STATE OF HAWAII.
AN EARTHQUAKE HAS OCCURRED WITH THESE PRELIMINARY PARAMETERS
ORIGIN TIME - 0950 AM HST 25 SEP 2003
COORDINATES - 42.1 NORTH 143.6 EAST
LOCATION - EASTERN HONSHU JAPAN
MAGNITUDE - 8.1 MOMENT
THE PACIFIC TSUNAMI WARNING CENTER HAS ISSUED AN EXPANDING REGIONAL TSUNAMI
WARNING AND WATCH FOR PARTS OF THE PACIFIC LOCATED CLOSER TO THE EARTHQUAKE.
AN EVALUATION OF THE PACIFIC WIDE TSUNAMI THREAT IS UNDERWAY AND THERE IS
A POSSIBILITY THAT HAWAII COULD BE ELEVATED TO A WATCH OR WARNING STATUS.
IF TSUNAMI WAVES IMPACT HAWAII THEIR ESTIMATED EARLIEST ARRIVAL TIME IS 0501
PM HST 25 SEP 2003
BULLETINS WILL BE ISSUED HOURLY OR SOONER AS CONDITIONS WARRANT.
THIS MESSAGE IS A REVISION OF A PREVIOUS EMSC ALERT
_____________________________________________________________________
EARTHQUAKE on 25/09/2003 at 19:50 (UTC)
HOKKAIDO, JAPAN, REGION
MAGNITUDE: MW 8.1
Data provided by: BUC FLN GFZ INDC INGV KAN LDG LED NEIC NEWS ODC
PPT RNS SED
Latitude = 42.30 N
Longitude = 143.78 E
Origin Time = 19:50:05.9 (UTC)
Depth = 10 Km
RMS = 0.72 sec
Gap = 57 degrees
95% confidence ellipse: - Semi major = 7.3 Km
- Semi minor = 3.3 Km
- Azimuth of major axis = 2 degrees
Number of data used = 343
Preliminary location computed on Thu Sep 25 21:16:36 2003 (UTC)
Done by Remy Bossu
Message number: 189
All magnitudes estimations :
MW8.1 (FLN) mb6.8 (GFZ) Ms8.2 (INDC)
M 7.0 (INGV) M 6.7 (INGV) mb6.5 (LDG) mb6.9 (LED)
M 8.0 (NEIC) mb7.2 (ODC) MW8.1 (PPT)
mb6.5 (RNS) mb6.7 (SED)
P.S.: For additional information, please contact EMSC at:
- Email: mazet@emsc-csem.org
- Web : http://www.emsc-csem.org
- Fax : 33 1 69 26 70 00
Strong Earthquake Hits Hokkaido, Japan
TOKYO (AP)--A strong earthquake struck Japan's northern Hokkaido area early
Friday, news reports said.
The quake hit southern Hokkaido at about 4:50 a.m. and was felt in central
Hidaka and eastern Tokatsu, the Japan Meteorological Agency said, according
to the Kyodo news agency.
Under the Japanese seismic classification, the earthquake was strong enough
to damage homes and trigger landslides, the agency said.
AP-NY-09-25-03 1637EDT
Copyright 2003, The Associated Press
TOKYO Sept. 25 — A strong quake with a preliminary magnitude of 7.8
rocked the northern Japan island of Hokkaido early Friday morning, knocking
out power, derailing a train and touching off an industrial fire. Two people
were reported injured.
The government warned local residents to avoid coastal areas due to the
possibility of tsunami, or ocean waves caused by seismic activity.
The quake was strong enough to rock buildings on the island and shake books
and other objects off shelves. Japan's public broadcaster NHK reported that
at least several people had been injured and a fire had broken out in the
city of Tomakomai.
Black plumes of smoke and flames could be seen leaping from the site in an
industrial area. Streams of water were aimed at the flames.
Television footage showed an office in which books were knocked off shelves,
and desks and computers swayed back and forth.
Japan's Meteorological agency warned that waves of up to 3 feet were expected
to hit coastal areas. The quake, which hit just before dawn, was focused
off Hokkaido's eastern shore.
Tsunami of up to 1 foot were observed in some coastal cities, NHK reported.
"We are now trying to collect information on the extent of the damage," city
official Sadayuki Kano said. "There are no reports of other major damage."
NHK also reported that a local train derailed, injuring two people.
The meteorological agency said the earthquake had a magnitude of 7.8 and
was focused 36 miles under the seabed.
The U.S. Geological Survey in Golden, Colo., said the temblor had a preliminary
magnitude of 8.
The quake struck in the Pacific Ocean, about 65 miles south-southwest of
Kushiro and 495 miles north-northeast of Tokyo, said John Minsch, a USGS
geophysicist. The quake was shallow.
"That makes it more likely to be a tsunami, and there's most likely to be
a great amount of damage," Minsch said.
Hokkaido is the northernmost and most sparsely populated of Japan's major
islands. Sapporo is the prefecture's capital.
Geophysicist Doug Given in Pasadena, Calif., said the region is "part of
the Pacific Ring of Fire, the zone of very large earthquakes and volcanoes
that rings the Pacific Rim."
The USGS had no immediate reports of casualties.
A tsunami advisory was issued for Hawaii and a warning was issued for parts
of Alaska.
Copyright 2003 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
2nd QUAKE - EARTHQUAKE on 25/09/2003 at 20:10 (UTC)
HOKKAIDO, JAPAN, REGION
MAGNITUDE: mb 5.8
Data provided by: GFZ LDG NEWS NOR ODC
Latitude = 42.82 N
Longitude = 143.95 E
Origin Time = 20:10:06.9 (UTC)
Depth = 33 Km
RMS = 0.60 sec
Gap = 329 degrees
95% confidence ellipse: - Semi major = 63.9 Km
- Semi minor = 33.9 Km
- Azimuth of major axis = 177 degrees
Number of data used = 45
Preliminary location computed on Thu Sep 25 21:47:46 2003 (UTC)
Done by Remy Bossu
Comments : Message number: 190
All magnitudes estimations :
mb6.5 (GFZ) mb5.6 (LDG) mb5.6 (NEWS) mb5.4 (NEWS)
mb5.0 (NOR) mb5.0 (NOR) mb5.9 (ODC)
3RD QUAKE
EARTHQUAKE on 25/09/2003 at 20:57 (UTC)
HOKKAIDO, JAPAN, REGION
MAGNITUDE: mb 5.9
Data provided by: GFZ LDG LED NEWS NOR ODC
Latitude = 42.25 N
Longitude = 143.80 E
Origin Time = 20:57:15.6 (UTC)
Depth = 33 Km
RMS = 0.48 sec
Gap = 325 degrees
95% confidence ellipse: - Semi major = 39.1 Km
- Semi minor = 20.9 Km
- Azimuth of major axis = 157 degrees
Number of data used = 95
Preliminary location computed on Thu Sep 25 21:53:48 2003 (UTC)
Done by Remy Bossu
Comments : Message number: 191
All magnitudes estimations :
mb6.1 (GFZ) mb5.6 (LDG) mb5.5 (LED) mb5.1 (NEWS)
mb5.8 (NOR) mb5.8 (ODC)
P.S.: For additional information, please contact EMSC at:
- Email: mazet@emsc-csem.org
- Web : http://www.emsc-csem.org
- Fax : 33 1 69 26 70 00
4TH QUAKE
EARTHQUAKE on 25/09/2003 at 21:08 (UTC)
HOKKAIDO, JAPAN, REGION
MAGNITUDE: mb 6.5
Data provided by: BUC GFZ INDC INGV KAN LDG LED LVV MAD MCSM
NEWS NOR ODC RNS SED THE
Latitude = 41.93 N
Longitude = 143.90 E
Origin Time = 21:08:00.0 (UTC)
Depth = 33 Km
RMS = 0.85 sec
Gap = 323 degrees
95% confidence ellipse: - Semi major = 44.1 Km
- Semi minor = 27.0 Km
- Azimuth of major axis = 166 degrees
Number of data used = 262
Preliminary location computed on Thu Sep 25 22:08:14 2003 (UTC)
Done by Remy Bossu
Comments : Message number: 192
All magnitudes estimations :
mb6.5 (GFZ) Ms7.5 (INDC)
M 6.5 (INGV) mb6.1 (LDG)
mb6.2 (LED) mb6.0 (MAD) mb5.4 (NEWS)
mb5.6 (NOR)
mb6.6 (ODC) mb5.9 (RNS) mb6.3 (SED)
5th QUAKE
EARTHQUAKE on 25/09/2003 at 22:20 (UTC)
HOKKAIDO, JAPAN, REGION
MAGNITUDE: mb 5.8
Data provided by: GFZ GSRC LDG LED NEWS NOR ODC RNS SED
Latitude = 42.01 N
Longitude = 143.77 E
Origin Time = 22:20:18.5 (UTC)
Depth = 20 Km
RMS = 0.65 sec
Gap = 138 degrees
95% confidence ellipse: - Semi major = 15.2 Km
- Semi minor = 9.6 Km
- Azimuth of major axis = 161 degrees
Number of data used = 121
Preliminary location computed on Thu Sep 25 23:59:13 2003 (UTC)
Done by Remy Bossu
Comments : Message number: 193
All magnitudes estimations :
mb6.0 (GFZ) mb5.8 (GSRC) mb5.4 (LDG) mb5.3 (LED)
mb5.1 (NEWS) mb5.4 (NOR) mb5.5 (ODC)
mb5.0 (RNS) mb5.5 (SED)
Strong Earthquake Rocks Northern Japan
By NORIMITSU ONISHI
Published: September 26, 2003
OKYO, Friday, Sept. 26 — A powerful earthquake shook northern Japan
early this morning, causing power failures, setting fire to an oil refinery
and derailing a train.
At least 164 people were injured, most of them by falling objects in their
homes, according to the NHK news network. No deaths were reported.
Japan's National Meteorological Agency warned residents away from coastal
areas, for fear that aftershocks would bring ocean waves, known as tsunamis.
There were no immediate reports of widespread damage.
The quake, with a magnitude of 8.0, struck at 4:50 a.m. in the Pacific Ocean
about 50 miles off the southeastern coast of Hokkaido, Japan's northern island,
about 600 miles north of Tokyo, according to the agency. Aftershocks, including
a powerful one at 6:07 a.m., followed.
NHK showed images of shelves shaking furiously inside an office, a fresh
crack running up an asphalt road and a fire burning at a refinery in southern
Hokkaido.
Train service was suspended on Hokkaido after an express train derailed,
injuring one of the 39 passengers, according to Kyodo News.
In a fishing town called Samani, two small fishing boats capsized off the
coast; in another town, Erimo, whose 2,200 residents were told to evacuate
at 5 a.m., waves swept empty cars into the sea. In Kushiro, a southeastern
city hit by high waves, 24,300 houses were left without power, according
to Kyodo.
Hiroaki Tanaka, a fire official in Kushiro, on Hokkaido's east coast, said
in an interview with Reuters that 47 people were being treated at hospitals
in the city.
"The situation seems to be settling down," he said. "Aftershocks seem to
be lessening. Injuries could rise though, if people head to hospitals in
their own cars. We felt it shake for a very long time."
Television pictures showed a fire and smoke billowing near an oil storage
depot of the Idemitsu Kosan Company at a refinery in Tomakomai, a coastal
city in southern Hokkaido.
The company said it had closed the plant for safety reasons.
Other pictures showed cracks in buildings and fallen tiles, and items spilled
from supermarket shelves.
Japan, which sits atop four tectonic plates, is one of the world's most
seismically active countries, and tremors are regularly felt here. Last Saturday
afternoon, a quake measuring 5.5 on the Richter scale, originating in the
Pacific off Tokyo, jolted the capital.
Hokkaido, with a population of about five million, is sparsely inhabited
compared to the rest of the country.
Japan's last major earthquake occurred in Kobe in 1995. That tremor, which
measured 7.2, killed more than 6,000 people.
[Editors Note] I guess they missed the ones on 7-26-03 and 5-26-03
See below
http://www.msnbc.com/news/971921.asp?0ct=-34n&cp1=1#BODY
Big earthquakes shake Japan island
7-foot tsunami, major damage reported in north
Japanese television broadcast footage of a fire at an oil refinery in Tomako
on Hokkaido island.
MSNBC AND NBC NEWS
TOKYO, Sept. 26 - Three powerful earthquakes, one of them of potentially
historic magnitude, struck Hokkaido in northern Japan early Friday morning,
causing major structural damage, NBC News reported. The quakes injured at
least 180 people and generated a 7-foot-high tsunami off the coast of Hokkaido.
Tsunami advisories were issued for much of the Pacific region, including
Japan, Russia and the Philippines.
THE FIRST QUAKE, which struck about 4:50 a.m. (4:50 p.m. ET Thursday),
preliminarily registered magnitude 8.0, a rare category of earthquake capable
of causing widespread destruction, according to the National Earthquake
Information Center of the U.S. Geological Survey. It was the biggest earthquake
recorded anywhere in the world since 2001.
The quake was followed within two hours by a series of strong aftershocks,
two of which were classified as major earthquakes themselves. The second
one, which came after about an hour and a half, measured 7.0, the U.S. earthquake
center said. NBC News producer Arata Yamamoto reported from Tokyo that there
was major damage to buildings on Hokkaido, while NHK television showed video
of a fire at an oil refinery, which was quickly extinguished. At least 24,000
were without power in Kushiro city and six neighboring towns.
A man cleaning up broken glass in a street was hit by an oncoming car and
died, NHK said, but there were no other immediate reports of deaths. At least
187 people were injured, at least two of them seriously, it said. Some were
hurt when a local express train derailed. All train services were suspended.
Kushiro Airport was closed after part of a roof caved in, and several roads
were blocked by landslides. Hokkaido, which is about the size of Austria,
is the second-largest of Japan's four main islands. It is home to 5 million
people, a nuclear reactor and active volcanoes. It is less than 500 miles
from Tokyo, and its capital, Sapporo, was host to the 1972 Winter Olympic
Games.
TSUNAMIS COULD POSE BIG THREAT
A 4.9-magnitude earthquake was registered off the coast of Taiwan about three
hours after the first Japanese quake. Geologists had not yet determined whether
it was an aftershock or a separate event. Beyond the immediate damage from
the shocks themselves, authorities braced for the destructive waves known
as tsunamis that Pacific quakes often generate. With an epicenter only 36
miles under the seabed, the Hokkaido quake was unusually shallow and was
a prime candidate to spawn waves that could cause a "great amount of damage,"
said a scientist at the Geological Survey.
The U.S. West Coast and Alaska Tsunami Warning Center reported that a 7-foot-high
wave had formed off the coast of Hanasaki on Hokkaido's Pacific coast. A
5-foot-high tsunami formed off the coast at Urakawa, it said. Because of
the threat of tsunami, aftershocks or the collapse of already damaged buildings,
41,000 people were evacuating their homes to shelters, according to Kazukiko
Kunii, a spokesman for the National Fire Agency.
Television pictures showed boats heading out to sea after the warning was
issued. Two small fishing boats capsized in coastal waters in Samani, a fishing
town in southern Hokkaido, local officials said. Tsunami warnings were in
effect for Japan, Russia and much of the Pacific Rim. Tsunami watches were
in effect for Guam, Taiwan, the Philippines and much of the central Pacific.
If the preliminary 8.0 rating is confirmed, the quake would equal the 1985
Mexico City earthquake, which killed about 10,000 people. By comparison,
the famous 1906 earthquake that destroyed much of San Francisco measured
7.7.
Sep. 26, 2003. 06:36 AM
243 hurt, 41,000 flee as quake rocks Japan
At least 243 hurt, 41,000 forced to evacuate
Northern island of Hokkaido worst hit
OBIHIRO, Japan—A magnitude 8.0 earthquake rocked Japan's northern island
of Hokkaido early today, injuring 243 people, knocking out power, derailing
a train and touching off an industrial fire.
There were no immediate reports of deaths directly caused by the quake in
the hours following the temblor that forced the evacuation of 41,000 people
and left some 16,000 homes blacked out.
Television footage showed an office where books were knocked off shelves,
and desks and computers swayed back and forth as the quake hit. Merchandise
fell off store shelves and people took shelter in schools.
"It shook hard and long and I was very frightened," said Eri Takizawa, a
city official in Kushiro, believed to be the hardest hit. "We have small
quakes here from time to time, but this was completely different."
The government has warned residents to avoid coastal areas due to the possibility
of tsunami, or ocean waves caused by seismic activity. The meteorological
agency said tsunami as high as one metre hit Kushiro, 820 kilometres north
of Tokyo. There were no reports of damage.
The quake struck at 4:50 a.m., local time, cracking roads, capsizing fishing
boats and causing the roof of a local airport to partially cave in. Most
of the injuries were caused by falling shelves and other toppled objects,
Japan's public broadcaster NHK reported.
The temblor was centred in the Pacific Ocean about 96 kms off Hokkaido's
eastern shore.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
1 killed, 388 injured in northern Japan earthquake
The number of people injured in Friday's earthquake in northern Japan has
increased to 388, NHK television reported.
The quake, measuring 8.0 on the Richter scale, took place at around 4:50
a.m. (1950 GMT Thursday), with the epicenter at 80 kilometers off Cape Erimo
in Hokkaido Prefecture.
A 61-year-old garbage collector was reportedly hit and killed by a car when
he was cleaning up debris. He was the only reported death related to the
earthquake as yet.
A second quake occurred at 6:07 a.m. (2107 GMT Thursday) and registered as
7.0 on the Richter scale. A one-meter tidal wave was observed in Kushiro
city in southeast Hokkaido.
The earthquake also led to a fire on an oil tank in a refinery, which has
been brought under control.
Friday 26.09.2003, CET 13:59
Strong quakes rattle Japan
By Kimimasa Mayama
KUSHIRO, Japan (Reuters) - A series of powerful earthquakes have shaken the
northern Japanese island of Hokkaido, injuring more than 400 people, causing
widespread damage and prompting officials to issue tidal wave warnings.
Japan's Meteorological Agency measured the initial quake at 8.0 on the Richter
scale -- stronger than previous killer earthquakes that have hit the country
-- and warned there could be aftershocks for up to 10 days as tremors continued
to be felt.
The only quake-related death reported was that of a 61-year-old man who was
struck by a car as he picked up broken beer bottles on the street, officials
said on Friday. Public broadcaster NHK said 472 people were injured in the
area, which fortunately is lightly populated.
The airport in the eastern town of Kushiro was closed after the ceiling of
the control tower collapsed. Part of the ceiling of the passenger terminal
also fell in, exposing the metal beams.
Elsewhere, roads and buildings cracked, roof tiles fell and gravestones tumbled
over. A storage tank at an oil refinery caught fire and the plant had to
be closed.
Quake-generated waves measuring about one metre (three feet) in height struck
the eastern Hokkaido coast, washing away some empty cars, but no major wave
damage was reported.
More than 40,000 people left their homes in response to the tidal wave threat,
Kyodo news agency said, but the warnings were lifted on Friday evening.
The focus of the first quake -- felt in Tokyo about 975 km (600 miles) to
the south -- was 42 km below the seabed in the Pacific Ocean near the port
of Erimo. A second quake measuring 5.8 on the Richter scale jolted Hokkaido
about an hour later, followed by another measuring 7.1.
SHOCKED BY POWER OF QUAKE
The first quake struck at 4.50 a.m. (8:50 p.m. British time) while most people
were sleeping. Many said they were shocked by its power.
"The tremor was so strong that I could not keep standing," a man told NHK
outside his home, its windows broken by the quake.
"Everything was falling over in the house," another man at a hospital told
NHK. "A shelf hit my wife on the back."
Roads were closed and rail services were halted in many areas after one person
was injured when a passenger train derailed.
Officials at Hokkaido Electric Power Co were quoted by Kyodo as saying that
24,300 homes near Kushiro lost power. NHK said Hokkaido Electric's Tomari
nuclear power station was unaffected.
A fire broke out in a storage tank at an oil refinery owned by Idemitsu Kosan
Co Ltd in Tomakomai, a coastal city in southern Hokkaido, sending flames
and black smoke spewing into the sky.
The fire was put out around midday but the refinery remained closed for safety
checks, Idemitsu said.
The latest earthquake follows one measuring 6.2 on the Richter scale that
hit the northeastern Miyagi prefecture in July, injuring around 500 people.
Miyagi was also struck by an estimated 7.0 earthquake in May that injured
more than 100.
Tsuneo Katayama, a seismologist and president of the National Research Institute
for Earth Science and Disaster Prevention, said the quake was unlikely to
be a trigger for larger ones.
"There's no real connection between this earthquake and the possibility of
a larger one, say in a place such as Tokyo. The location is totally different,"
Katayama told Reuters.
He added that it was not particularly significant that there had been three
earthquakes in northern Japan since May.
"In a seismically active place like this, it's not strange to go through
a period where there are several small earthquakes close together about once
every 10 years," he said. Just one of the things we have to put up with for
living here."
Japan is one of the world's most seismically active areas, with an earthquake
occurring every five minutes.
Hokkaido, about the size of Austria, is the second largest of Japan's four
main islands and has a population of more than five million. The capital,
Sapporo, hosted the 1972 Winter Olympics.
Memories are still vivid in Japan of the earthquake in the western city of
Kobe that killed more than 6,400 people eight years ago. That quake measured
7.2 on the Richter scale.
The Great Kanto earthquake of September 1, 1923 measured 7.9 on the Richter
scale and killed more than 140,000 people in Tokyo and the neighbouring port
city of Yokohama.
The last quake of 8.0 or higher in Japan was in 1994.
TSUNAMI WARNING
The meteorological agency issued a tsunami warning for the coastal areas
in eastern and central Hokkaido and a tsunami alert for the coastal areas
in western Hokkaido as well as the northern Japanese prefectures of Aomori,
Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima.
The "warning" was later downgraded to an "alert" before it was called off
completely at 6:30 p.m. In 1993, a tsunami caused by a quake measuring 7.8
killed about 200 people on the island of Okushiri, off western Hokkaido.
The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) issued a
tsunami warning for Russia as well as Japan. It also issued a lower-level
tsunami watch for the Philippines, Taiwan, Guam, and a number of islands
in the Pacific Ocean.
Reuters
5TH QUAKE - EARTHQUAKE on 26/09/2003 at 02:35 (UTC)
HOKKAIDO, JAPAN, REGION
MAGNITUDE: mb 5.9
Data provided by: GFZ INGV LDG LED NEWS NOR ODC SED
Latitude = 42.58 N
Longitude = 144.64 E
Origin Time = 02:35:15.5 (UTC)
Depth = 33 Km
RMS = 0.58 sec
Gap = 325 degrees
95% confidence ellipse: - Semi major = 49.0 Km
- Semi minor = 24.4 Km
- Azimuth of major axis = 147 degrees
Number of data used = 146
Preliminary location computed on Fri Sep 26 02:57:22 2003 (UTC)
Done by Remy Bossu
Comments : Message number: 194
All magnitudes estimations :
mb6.2 (GFZ) M 5.9 (INGV) mb5.6 (LDG)
mb5.5 (LED) mb5.3 (NEWS) mb5.5 (NOR)
mb5.8 (ODC) mb5.9 (SED)
5TH QUAKE - EARTHQUAKE on 26/09/2003 at 06:26 (UTC)
HOKKAIDO, JAPAN, REGION
MAGNITUDE: mb 6.2
Data provided by: BUC GFZ INGV LDG LED LJU LVV NEWS NOR ODC RNS SED
Latitude = 42.62 N
Longitude = 145.27 E
Origin Time = 06:26:58.0 (UTC)
Depth = 33 Km
RMS = 0.57 sec
Gap = 314 degrees
95% confidence ellipse: - Semi major = 42.3 Km
- Semi minor = 21.6 Km
- Azimuth of major axis = 145 degrees
Number of data used = 161
Preliminary location computed on Fri Sep 26 07:05:18 2003 (UTC)
Done by Remy Bossu
Comments : Message number: 195
All magnitudes estimations :
mb5.4 (BUC) mb6.3 (GFZ) mb6.1 (LDG) mb5.5 (LED)
mb5.3 (NEWS) mb6.0 (NOR)
mb6.0 (ODC) mb5.6 (RNS) mb6.1 (SED)
QUAKE #7 - Subj: INFO: mb 6.0 HOKKAIDO, JAPAN, REGION 26/09/2003 20:38 (UTC)
Date: 9/26/2003 2:17:14 PM Pacific Daylight Time
EARTHQUAKE on 26/09/2003 at 20:38 (UTC)
HOKKAIDO, JAPAN, REGION
MAGNITUDE: mb 6.0
Data provided by: GFZ INGV LDG LED LJU NEWS NOR ODC OGS RNS SED
Latitude = 42.52 N
Longitude = 144.92 E
Origin Time = 20:38:23.8 (UTC)
Depth = 33 Km
RMS = 0.57 sec
Gap = 316 degrees
95% confidence ellipse: - Semi major = 39.4 Km
- Semi minor = 21.6 Km
- Azimuth of major axis = 146 degrees
Number of data used = 200
Preliminary location computed on Fri Sep 26 21:08:34 2003 (UTC)
Done by Remy Bossu
Comments : Message number: 196
All magnitudes estimations :
mb6.4 (GFZ) M 5.8 (INGV) mb5.9 (LDG) mb5.7 (LED)
mb5.2 (NEWS) mb5.9 (NOR)
mb6.0 (ODC) mb5.5 (RNS) mb6.1 (SED)
8TH QUAKE - EARTHQUAKE on 28/09/2003 at 04:17 (UTC)
HOKKAIDO, JAPAN, REGION
MAGNITUDE: mb 5.7
Data provided by: GFZ IMP LDG LED LJU NEWS NOR ODC RNS SED
Latitude = 42.96 N
Longitude = 145.38 E
Origin Time = 04:17:54.4 (UTC)
Depth = 33 Km
RMS = 0.59 sec
Gap = 324 degrees
95% confidence ellipse: - Semi major = 54.3 Km
- Semi minor = 23.4 Km
- Azimuth of major axis = 159 degrees
Number of data used = 135
Preliminary location computed on Sun Sep 28 08:55:05 2003 (UTC)
Done by Remy Bossu
Comments : Message number: 204
All magnitudes estimations :
mb5.8 (GFZ) mb5.4 (LDG) mb5.3 (LED) mb5.4 (NEWS)
mb5.8 (NOR) mb5.6 (ODC) mb5.0 (RNS)
mb5.6 (SED)
9TH QUAKE - EARTHQUAKE on 29/09/2003 at 02:36 (UTC)
HOKKAIDO, JAPAN, REGION
MAGNITUDE: mb 6.5
Data provided by: GFZ INGV LDG LJU NEWS NOR ODC RNS SED THE
Latitude = 42.78 N
Longitude = 144.76 E
Origin Time = 02:36:54.8 (UTC)
Depth = 33 Km
RMS = 0.59 sec
Gap = 322 degrees
95% confidence ellipse: - Semi major = 47.7 Km
- Semi minor = 20.8 Km
- Azimuth of major axis = 147 degrees
Number of data used = 184
Preliminary location computed on Mon Sep 29 03:20:12 2003 (UTC)
Done by Remy Bossu
Comments : Message number: 205
All magnitudes estimations :
mb6.6 (GFZ) M 6.2 (INGV) mb6.2 (LDG) mb5.7 (NEWS)
mb6.5 (NOR)
mb6.5 (ODC) mb5.7 (RNS) mb6.3 (SED)
Two Earthquakes Hit Northern Japan
Tuesday October 7, 2003 8:46 AM
By KENJI HALL
Associated Press Writer
TOKYO (AP) - Two fairly strong earthquakes rattled the northern Japan island
of Hokkaido on Tuesday as experts warned the fault that caused the world's
strongest quake in 2 years has not expended all of its pent-up energy.
The quakes early Tuesday were the most recent to hit Hokkaido since last
month's magnitude-8 temblor there left more than 700 people injured.
The first, of magnitude 4.8, occurred around 1:28 a.m. off Hokkaido's remote
southeastern coast, about 525 miles north of Tokyo, Japan's Meteorological
Agency said. The second, magnitude 5.6, hit off the eastern coast three hours
later, it said.
There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage.
But a researcher at the Japan Marine Science and Technology Center predicted
Tuesday that the region could be hit again by a quake of similar destructive
power to the one that slammed Hokkaido on Sept. 27.
That tremor - the world's strongest seismic jolt since a magnitude-8.4 temblor
that killed 74 people in Peru in June 2001 - damaged homes and roads, leaving
about 756 people injured, 59 seriously. Two fishermen were missing and believed
to have been swept away by tsunami waves, some as high as 13 feet.
Using seismic sensors to pinpoint the epicenter of last month's temblor,
marine researcher Kenji Hirata said his team found that the undersea fault
where it occurred appears to have only partially collapsed, releasing just
a fraction of the energy it unleashed during a quake 30 years earlier.
More crumbling along the 60-mile fault, where two tectonic plates collide,
could generate a magnitude-7.5 quake and tsunami of at least 13 feet to 23
feet tall, Hirata said.
``It's impossible to know for sure if or when this might happen,'' he said
in a telephone interview from a conference where he was presenting his findings.
Japan sits atop four tectonic plates - or slabs of the earth's surface -
and is one of the world's most earthquake-prone countries.
Guardian Unlimited © Guardian
EARTHQUAKE on 08/10/2003 at 09:06 (UTC)
HOKKAIDO, JAPAN, REGION
MAGNITUDE: mb 6.1
Data provided by: BUC GFZ INGV IRSA LDG LED LJU MAD NEWS NOR ODC RNS SED
Latitude = 43.31 N
Longitude = 144.70 E
Origin Time = 09:06:58.7 (UTC)
Depth = 33 Km
RMS = 0.85 sec
Gap = 314 degrees
95% confidence ellipse: - Semi major = 42.4 Km
- Semi minor = 28.3 Km
- Azimuth of major axis = 164 degrees
Number of data used = 195
Preliminary location computed on Wed Oct 8 09:53:53 2003 (UTC)
Done by Jocelyn GUILBERT
Comments : Message number: 210
All magnitudes estimations :
mb6.6 (GFZ) mb6.1 (LDG) mb5.8 (LED) mb5.9 (MAD)
mb5.7 (NEWS) mb5.7 (NEWS) mb6.1 (NOR)
mb6.1 (ODC) mb5.8 (RNS) mb6.3 (SED)
Strong earthquake hits northern Japan
ASSOCIATED PRESS
TOKYO, Oct. 8 — A strong earthquake shook Japan's northern island of
Hokkaido on Wednesday — the fourth large tremor to jolt the region in
two days, and the latest since a powerful quake injured more than 700 people
less than two weeks ago.
There were no immediate reports of major damage from the magnitude 6.3 quake.
The latest quake struck at 6:07 p.m. (5:07 a.m. EDT) about 30 miles under
the ocean floor just off the island's eastern coast, Japan's Meteorological
Agency said. There was no danger of tsunami, a potentially dangerous ocean
wave triggered by seismic activity, it said.
''It shook a little,'' said Makoto Hara, a police spokesman in Nemuro, a
city on the eastern coast of the island. ''But it wasn't big enough to send
things falling off shelves.''
He added there were no immediate reports of injuries or damage in his district
but police had dispatched a patrol car to survey the area.
A magnitude 5.1earthquake struck the same area at 2:41 a.m. Wednesday (1:41
p.m. EDT Tuesday).
The quakes come a day after two similar temblors, including one of magnitude
5.6, rattled the region, and followed a new warning that a major fault line
in the area still has pent-up energy to release.
A researcher at the Japan Marine Science and Technology Center predicted
the region could be hit by a quake similar to the magnitude 8 one that slammed
Hokkaido on Sept. 27.
That quake damaged homes and roads, leaving 756 people injured, 59 seriously.
Two fishermen were believed to have been swept away by tsunami waves as high
as 13 feet.
Using seismic sensors to assess an undersea fault, the researcher said the
Sept. 27 quake hadn't expended all the energy built up there, and that another
magnitude 7.5 quake is possible.
A magnitude 5 quake can damage buildings; a magnitude 7 is capable of causing
widespread, massive damage. Japan sits atop four tectonic plates and is one
of the world's most earthquake-prone countries.
© 2003 Associated Press. All rights reserved.
8-17-03 -
CHINA QUAKE -
5.9 - OVER 8,000 HOMES DESTROYED
8-14-03 -
GREECE QUAKE -
6.2
8-10-03 -
YELLOWSTONE
SUPERVOLCANO - 30% PREDICTION TO BLOW WITHIN 6 MONTHS
7-26-03 - JAPAN QUAKES 5.0,
6.2, 7.0 + OVER 400 AFTERSHOCKS
5-26-03 - JAPAN QUAKE
6-13-03
ALASKA QUAKE
DANGERS
5-21-03 -
ALGERIA QUAKE
- 6.7 640 dead - 5000 injured
5-4-03
OLD MAN OF
THE MOUNTAIN FELL DOWN
5-1-03 -
TURKEY EARTHQUAKE
- 6.4 - DEADLY
2-24-2003
-CHINA
COLIMA, MEXICO -
1-21-2003
GORDA RIDGE -
(OREGON/WASHINGTON)
LOS ANGELES
QUAKES
NEW
YORK STATE QUAKE 4-20-2002
NEW MADRID QUAKES
CHINA
LAKE, CALIFORNIA
