Okinawa Japan Hit By Earthquake
By Arnab, Gaea News NetworkSaturday, February 27, 2010
OKINAWA, JAPAN (GaeaTimes.com)- Saturday morning, the residents of Okinawa, Japan woke up to feel an earthquake that had the potential to cause significant damage but luckily it did not. The earthquake that hit the coastal region around 5.30 on the morning recorded close to 7 in the Richter scale. It has been confirmed by the Geological Survey of USA. The epicenter was the Ryukyu Islands, a place 85 km away from Okinawa islands. At first the geologist became worried about the possibility of a tsunami that they thought could take place as an aftereffect. Even a tsunami warning was sounded and evacuation began. However, later the warning was downplayed by them.
The Okinawa quake did not harm the Okinawa marine base in Japan, according to the available information. There is hardly any chance of any tsunami lashing the US coastline owing to this quake, as per the opinion of the US National weather service. The coastline of Japan is no stranger to calamities like tsunami and quakes. A few days back a major quake rocked the Japanese coastline. That explains why the Okinawa quake left the seismologist worried at first.
The quake caused slight injuries to two old women. However, no death has been reported so far, after the quake. No major property damage has been reported either by the authorities, post the incident. Since, Okinawa islands of Japan is situated in close proximity to quake prone land, it faces the risks of severe Earthquakes. Fortunately, the latest quake did not leave an impact on public life there.
