Japan earthquake: Japan earthquake

Friday, March 11, 2011

Videos of Japan 8.9 Earthquake and Tsunami

(UPDATE)Countries under Tsunami warnings

The wide-ranging list includes Russia and Indonesia, Central American countries like Guatemala, El Salvador and Costa Rica and the U.S. state of Hawaii. The weather service's bulletin is intended "as advice to government agencies."

The quake, which struck near the coast of Honshu on Friday afternoon unleashed a wall of water that rushed in toward land, leveling houses and cars in its path
Authorities in the U.S. territory of Guam said a tsunami could hit the island as early as 7:09 p.m. (4:09 a.m. ET). Sirens sounded in Hawaii around 10 p.m. Thursday (3 a.m. ET), warning residents they could expect tsunami waves five hours later.

This is a very large earthquake. We've evaluated it as about the same size as the earthquake last year in Chile. However, it's much closer to the Hawaiian islands than the Chile earthquake,

The National Weather Service list includes Japan, Russia, the Philippines, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Australia, Fiji, Mexico, New Zealand, Guatemala, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Panama, Honduras, Chile, Ecuador, Colombia, Peru and the United States.

Japan earthquake - videos, photos and more

Tsunami Alert for New Zealand, the Philippines, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Hawaii, and others. Waves expected over the next few hours, caused by 8.9 earthquake in Japan.

The Ministry of Civil Defence & Emergency has issued a potential threat advisory in regards to the tsunami generated by the Japan magnitude 8.8 earthquake.

It is advising New Zealand coastal communities that a tsunami is possible.The Ministry is presently assessing the severity of the possible threat to New Zealand.

If a tsunami has been generated, the arrival times in New Zealand have yet to be advised. The first wave may arrive later and may not be the largest. Waves may continue for several hours.

If a tsunami has been generated people in coastal areas should:

Stay off beaches
Stay out of the water (sea, rivers and estuaries, including boating activities)
Do not go sightseeing
Share this information with family, neighbours and friends
Listen to the radio and/or TV for updates
Follow instructions of your local Civil Defence authorities

Magnitude	8.9
Date-Time	Friday, March 11, 2011 at 05:46:23 UTC Friday, March 11, 2011 at 02:46:23 PM at epicenter Time of Earthquake in other Time Zones
Location	38.322°N, 142.369°E
Depth	24.4 km (15.2 miles) set by location program
Region	NEAR THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
Distances	130 km (80 miles) E of Sendai, Honshu, Japan 178 km (110 miles) E of Yamagata, Honshu, Japan 178 km (110 miles) ENE of Fukushima, Honshu, Japan 373 km (231 miles) NE of TOKYO, Japan
Location Uncertainty	horizontal +/- 13.5 km (8.4 miles); depth fixed by location program
Parameters	NST=350, Nph=351, Dmin=416.3 km, Rmss=1.46 sec, Gp= 29°, M-type="moment" magnitude from initial P wave (tsuboi method) (Mi/Mwp), Version=A
Source	USGS NEIC (WDCS-D)
Event ID	usc0001xgp

key facts!

The 8.9 magnitude earthquake struck 250 miles (400km) from Tokyo at a depth of 20 miles.
At least 139 people have been killed, 539 injured, and 351 are missing.
~4 million buildings have lost power in Japan.
A “nuclear emergency” has been declared due to complications at a major Japanese nuclear power plant. Update (1:10pm EST): “US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says the US Air Force in Japan has transported coolant to the plant. Officials say the facility should be back to normal soon.”
Over 2,800 people have been ordered to evacuate an area near another Japanese nuclear power plant, the Fukushima No. 1 power plant northeast of Tokyo, because its cooling system failed.
The Japanese coast guard is searching for a ship carrying 80 workers on it.
The first tsunami waves have hit Hawaii.
Tsunami warnings are now in effect for New Zealand, Hawaii, California, Oregon and Alaska.
Oregon coastal residents have been urged to evacuate, some California residents may be.