Magnitude 6.9 Earthquake Hits Off Northeast Japan — Felt Along Entire Pacific Coastline — Multiple Aftershocks – Official: Event Related 3/11 Quake

H/t reader M.G.:

– Quake near Magnitude 7 hits off northeast Japan — Country’s strongest since 2013 — Felt along entire Pacific coastline, distance of over 1,000 kilometers — Followed by multiple aftershocks, one centered at Japan Trench — Official: Event related to massive 3/11 quake (VIDEO) (ENENews, Feb 16, 2015):

The Guardian, Feb 16, 2015: Japanese coastal towns evacuated as earthquake hits Pacific… Evacuations were ordered for towns closest to the coast in Iwate prefecture in Japan early on Tuesday morning after a strong earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.9 was recorded… The Japan Meteorological Agency issued a tsunami warning and Japanese broadcaster NHK warned residents a one metre-high wave was expected to hit the coast of Iwate. The quake was measured at a depth of about six miles and shook much of north-east Japan even being felt in Tokyo, 430 miles away.

NBC News, Feb 16, 2015: Japan’s Meteorological Agency cast the quake as an aftershock of the 9.0 temblor that rocked Japan on March 11, 2011… “Because the 3/11 earthquake had such a strong impact, and because it’s an area where it was affected by the 3/11 Earthquake, we are describing this as an ‘aftershock,’” said agency seismologist, Yasuhiro Yoshida… USGS wasn’t characterizing Tuesday’s quake as an aftershock, considering it a separate event.

USGS quake list:

• M6.7 — 02-16 23:06:27 UTC
• M4.7 — 02-17 00:50:02 UTC
• M4.6 — 02-17 01:15:02 UTC
• M4.9 — 02-17 02:29:51 UTC
• M4.3 — 02-17 02:45:12 UTC (Japan Trench)

The quake was felt from Chiba to Hokkaido, a distance of over 1,000 kilometers.

This is the most powerful earthquake to hit Japan since a M7.1 on Oct. 25, 2013.

Watch NHK’s report here