Feb 26, 2010

7.3 quake hits off Okinawa; tsunami warning issued

Just minutes ago a magnitude 7.3 earthquake struck off Japan in the Pacific Ocean, the U.S. Geological Survey reports.

Here are the technical details so far.

No word yet regarding a possible tsunami.

Update at 3:50 p.m. ET: The epicenter is the Ryukyu Islands, about 50 miles off Naha, in Okinawa. The quake was 6.2 miles deep, relatively shallow.

No reports yet of damage or injuries.

Update at 3:54 p.m. ET: The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center says "no destructive widespread tsunami threat exists based on historical earthquake and tsunami data."

However, "earthquakes of this size sometimes generate local tsunamis that can be destructive along coasts located within 100 kilometers of the earthquake epicenter."

Update at 3:57 p.m. ET: The USGS has lowered the magnitude to 7.0, equal to the quake that struck Haiti.

The depth has also changed -- 13.7 miles, more than double the preliminary estimate.

Update at 4:08 p.m. ET: Japan's meteorological agency has issued a tsunami warning for coastal regions of Okinawa and has urged residents to evacuate "to the safe places near the above coasts." The height is expected to be between 1 and 2 feet.

Here's a map.

Update at 4:23 p.m. ET: Neglected to note the time of the quake: 3:31 p.m. ET, or 5:31 a.m. Saturday local time. And the JMA measures the quake at 6.9.