2 5.0+ quakes just hit Hokkaido, Japan

hisz.rsoe.hu...

No reports of damage yet.

Early readings are 5.6 and 5.5

Seems like it may be part of a series, as there was a smaller quake a couple of weeks ago:

www.upi.com...

SAPPORO, Japan, Dec. 28 (UPI)
-- The Japan Meteorological Agency said a 5-magnitude earthquake struck the island of Hokkaido and part of Aomori Prefecture early Monday.
The Kyodo news agency said the earthquake measured 4 on the Japanese seismic intensity scale in regional cities and was centered nearly 50 miles under the Hokkaido city of Kushiro.
The morning earthquake did not result in a tsunami warning. No damage or injuries were reported.

© 2009 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

2010 is the year of the Earthquake It seems.

Plenty of earthquakes already and sadly im sure there will be plenty more.

reply to post by apacheman


Actually I think it is one quake, not 2.
2 reporting agency labels RSOE-EMSC & USGS.

But yes, things are shaking all over.

sp

[edit on 14-1-2010 by Absum!]

A 5.anything in Japan will not cause much damage at all.

Their entire society has been structured around surviving Earthquakes.

It will take a massive quake to bring things down in Japan.

To them, this 5.x is probably little more than a normal occurrence.

The only reason we are even discussing it is because we are curious if there is a pattern of quake activity and we want to know if it means anything dire for our future situation.

A few years ago, no one would even bother making a press release for a 5.x anywhere in Japan.

I highly doubt there is any real damage at all. Their structures are the most quake resistant on Earth. Highly advanced.

reply to post by muzzleflash


I will add this though, if there are any older buildings around they may suffer slight damage.

The newer stuff is for sure resilient though.

And the Japanese people have prepared extensively and everyone there knows the drill of what to do during a quake.

Details:

earthquake.usgs.gov...

Magnitude 5.0
Date-Time Thursday, January 14, 2010 at 18:46:25 UTC Friday, January 15, 2010 at 03:46:25 AM at epicenter
Time of Earthquake in other Time Zones
Location 42.380°N, 142.959°E
Depth 56 km (34.8 miles)
Region HOKKAIDO, JAPAN REGION
Distances 135 km (85 miles) WSW of Kushiro, Hokkaido, Japan 155 km (95 miles) ESE of Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan 795 km (495 miles) NNE of TOKYO, Japan 7080 km (4400 miles) NE of MOSCOW, Russia
Location Uncertainty horizontal +/- 6.8 km (4.2 miles); depth +/- 7.8 km (4.8 miles)
Parameters NST=121, Nph=121, Dmin=43.9 km, Rmss=0.92 sec, Gp= 94°, M-type=body wave magnitude (Mb), Version=7
Source USGS NEIC (WDCS-D)
Event ID us2010rlbq

Shouldn't be much of a much there.

RSOE seems to be frequently reporting double records for earthquakes.

Always best to double check with Japan Meteorological Agency (for Japanese earthquakes) and USGS before taking what you see on that map at face value.