7.4 Quake Rattles Northern Japan as Tsunami Fears Ease

One hour after the tremor shook, waves 2.6-feet high were witnessed at the Kuji port in the Iwate Prefecture. Then, another smaller tsunami wave (1.3 feet) was detected at another, nearby port.

Soon after the earthquake erupted, officials issued a warning for potential 10-foot waves, but according to the U.S. Pacific Tsunami Warning Center, that threat “has now passed.”

The latest from the USGS shows no signs of potential tsunamis for Hawaii or the continental United States. For Hawaii, they wrote:

“BASED ON ALL AVAILABLE DATA A DESTRUCTIVE PACIFIC-WIDE TSUNAMI IS NOT EXPECTED AND THERE IS NO TSUNAMI THREAT TO HAWAII. REPEAT. A DESTRUCTIVE PACIFIC-WIDE TSUNAMI IS NOT EXPECTED AND THERE IS NO TSUNAMI THREAT TO HAWAII.”

And for the U.S. West Coast:

“THERE IS NO LONGER A TSUNAMI THREAT FROM THIS EARTHQUAKE… MINOR SEA LEVEL FLUCTUATIONS MAY OCCUR IN SOME COASTAL AREAS NEAR THE EARTHQUAKE OVER THE NEXT FEW HOURS.”

While this quake, and subsequent tsunami, were minor, Japan officials remain on high alert. This could be a precursor for something bigger. According to the AP:

“The Cabinet Office and the Japan Meteorological Agency said there is 1% chance for a mega-quake occurring on the northern Japanese coast in the next week or so following the powerful quake earlier Monday near the Chishima trough.”

This is a developing story.