Major quake strikes off of Japan

[southsider2k5]

http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/asiapcf/11/1...nami/index.html

 

TOKYO, Japan (CNN) -- A small 40-centimeter (16-inch) tsunami has hit northern Japan after an 8.1 magnitude earthquake shook the Russian-controlled Kuril islands, according to Japan's Meteorological Agency.

 

Residents along Japan's Pacific coast were told to flee the tsunami after the quake hit Wednesday at 8:14 p.m. (1114 GMT) deep under the Pacific Ocean about 1,700 kilometers (1,000 miles) northeast of Tokyo. (How earthquakes are measured)

 

The tsunami warning was issued for eastern Hokkaido, Japan's northernmost island, the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said. ( How the tsunami alert system works)

 

"An earthquake of this size has the potential to generate a destructive tsunami that can strike coastlines in the region near the epicenter within minutes to hours," the NOAA said. (Watch as tsunami warning issued for Japan -- 2:50)

 

A tsunami watch also was issued for North American coastal areas ranging from the northern tip of Canada's Vancouver and British Columbia to Dutch Harbor, Alaska and residents were warned to get ready for a possible evacuation.

 

NOAA issued a tsunami warning for all Alaskan coastal areas ranging from Dutch Harbor to Attu, Alaska. ( Read where tsunami warnings were issued after the quake)

 

"A tsunami warning means that all coastal residents in the warning area who are near the beach or in low-lying regions should move immediately inland to higher ground," NOAA said.

 

Japan's primary public broadcasting source NHK said Japanese officials had expected a wave of up to 2 meters (6.5 feet) in a less populated area of the island chain while the coast of Japan may get a wave of up to 1 meter.

 

About 30,000 people live in the Kuril islands, which is located 1100 kilometers north of mainland Japan.

 

Keiichi Kimura, a Hokkaido Prefectural (state) police officer, told The Associated Press there were no immediate reports of injuries or damage from the earthquake.

 

Railway officials on Hokkaido stopped trains at nearby stations as a precautionary step, NHK said.

 

Tsunami waves -- generated by earthquakes -- are often barely noticeable in the ocean but can rise to great heights once they arrive at shore.

 

Cindy Preller at the Alaska Tsunami Warning Center in Palmer told AP a tsunami was not expected to hit Hawaii or the West Coast of North and South America.

 

She said one could very possibly hit in the western Aleutian Islands of the U.S. state of Alaska.

 

A 9.1-magnitude quake off the coast of Indonesia on December 26, 2004 caused a tsunami that killed more than 200,000 people in 11 countries. ( Remembering the 2004 Asian tsunami)