Physical oceanography

7.0-magnitude quake in remote Northern Mariana Islands

Agence France-PresseMay 13, 2013 22:30

A deep 7.0-magnitude earthquake struck near the Northern Mariana Islands in the western Pacific on Tuesday, the US Geological Survey said, but no tsunami warning was issued. The quake hit 42 kilometres (26 miles) west of Agrihan and 395 kilometres north of the main island Saipan, but it was at a depth of 603 kilometres and seismologists said it was too deep to cause any impact. "Obviously people may get a small shake but there's hardly any population around there," Geoscience Australia seismologist David Jepson told AFP.

6.1 earthquake hits off Japan's coast

Agence France-PresseApril 21, 2013 01:00

A 6.1-magnitude earthquake struck off the south coast of Japan's main Honshu island on Sunday, the United States Geological Survey said, but no tsunami warning was issued. The quake hit at 12:22 pm (0322 GMT), 644 kilometres (400 miles) south of Tokyo, at a depth of 424 kilometres, the USGS said. Japan's Meteorological Agency said there is no risk of a tsunami. Tokyo and its suburban Kanto region felt minor tremors but there were no immediate reports of injuries or damage, the agency said. The area is prone to earthquakes. kh/jw

7.2 earthquake shakes northern Japan

Agence France-PresseApril 19, 2013 00:01

A major 7.2-magnitude earthquake struck off northern Japan on Friday, seismologists said, but no tsunami warning was issued. The quake hit at 0305 GMT near the Russian-administered Kuril island chain, 1,490 kilometres (926 miles) north of Tokyo, the US Geological Survey said. It was located 122 km deep. The quake rocked towns in the northernmost Japanese prefecture of Hokkaido. "We have received no reports of damage so far," a spokesman at the Hokkaido police said, adding there were no reports of injuries. mis/hg/jw

Earthquake jolts islands off northern Japan, no tsunami warning

Thomson ReutersApril 18, 2013 23:45

TOKYO (Reuters) - An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 7.0 struck islands off northern Japan on Friday but no tsunami warning was issued, the Japan Meteorological Agency said. Buildings in Tokyo also shook from the quake. On Wednesday, a series of earthquakes, including one with a preliminary magnitude of 6.2, hit Japan's Miyake island, about 180 km (111 miles) south of Tokyo. (Reporting by Kaori Kaneko; Editing by Edmund Klamann)

Northeast Japan jolted by magnitude 5.8 quake, no tsunami warning

Thomson ReutersApril 17, 2013 09:01

TOKYO (Reuters) - An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 5.8 jolted northeastern Japan on Wednesday but no tsunami warning was issued, the Japan Meteorological Agency said. The epicentre of the earthquake was off the coast of Miyagi prefecture, more than 300 km (190 miles) northeast of Tokyo, where buildings also shook from the quake. The northeast was hit two years ago by a magnitude 9 earthquake that triggered a devastating tsunami.

Quake jolts islands off east Japan, no tsunami warning - NHK

Thomson ReutersApril 17, 2013 05:45

TOKYO (Reuters) - An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.2 hit islands off the east coast of Japan on Wednesday but no tsunami warning was issued, public broadcaster NHK said. NHK said the epicentre of the earthquake was near Miyake island, about 180 km (111 miles) south of Tokyo. There were reports of landslides on the island, the broadcaster said. (Reporting by Kaori Kaneko; Editing by Edmund Klamann)

6.6-magnitude quake rocks Papua New Guinea

Agence France-PresseApril 16, 2013 23:45

A 6.6-magnitude earthquake shook Papua New Guinea's north Wednesday in a region where a huge tsunami killed more than 2,000 people in 1998, with reports suggesting the area escaped serious damage. The quake, at a depth of just 13 kilometres (eight miles), hit 23 km east of the small town of Aitape, with a population of around 8,000 on the Pacific nation's north coast, the US Geological Survey said. "We are aware of the earthquake off Aitape in Papua New Guinea. There have been no reports of serious damage or injury," a spokeswoman from Australia's foreign office told AFP.

6.8-magnitude quake rocks Papua New Guinea

Agence France-PresseApril 16, 2013 21:46

A strong 6.8-magnitude earthquake rocked Papua New Guinea's north Wednesday as seismologists warned there could be considerable damage in Aitape, where a giant tsunami in 1998 killed more than 2,000 people. The quake, at a depth of just 13 kilometres (eight miles), hit 22km east of the town of Aitape on the Pacific nation's north coast, which has a population of around 8,000, at 08:55 am (2255 GMT Tuesday), the US Geological Survey said.

6.6-magnitude quake strikes Papua New Guinea

Agence France-PresseApril 13, 2013 23:16

A strong 6.6-magnitude earthquake struck off Papua New Guinea on Sunday, the US Geological Survey reported, but a tsunami warning was not issued and no major damage was expected. The quake hit 105 kilometres (65 miles) west of Panguna, a town on Bougainville Island, at a depth of 64 kilometres, and some 677 kilometres west of the Solomon Islands' capital Honiara, it said. "A destructive tsunami was not generated based on earthquake and historical tsunami data," said the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center.

Quake strikes off Papua New Guinea, no damage reported

Thomson ReutersApril 13, 2013 22:15

PERTH (Reuters) - A 6.6 magnitude earthquake struck 46 miles (74 km) west of Bougainville island in Papua New Guinea on Sunday but there were no immediate reports of damage. The quake, originally registered at 6.7 magnitude, was 40 miles deep. "Although anything at less than 100 km (62 miles) depth is considered shallow, we're not expecting anything major from this," said David Jepsen, senior seismologist at Geoscience Australia. "It's nothing like the quake we had there in February."