Location of a 6.6 magnitude earthquake that caused a small tsunami in Japan on Thursday. Photo courtesy of U.S. Geological Survey
A 6.6-magnitude earthquake in the western Pacific Ocean Thursday morning created small tsunami waves that washed up on Japan’s shores, officials said.
The earthquake’s epicenter was off the uninhabited island of Torishima, some 360 miles south of Tokyo at a depth of 10.5 miles at around 11 a.m. local time. Advertisement
Waves of nearly a foot were seen on at least one of the Izu islands following the earthquake.
The Japan Meteorological Agency issued a tsunami advisory, initially predicting a tsunami wave up to three feet for the islands located south of Tokyo.
It warned that a wave of that height “can be extremely dangerous and it can sweep you off your feet.”
The tsunami advisory was lifted about two hours later, but the meteorological agency warned of possible aftershocks and called on the public to stay alert over the next week.
In 2011, a powerful earthquake off the northeast coast of Japan sparked a series of large tsunami waves that caused severe damage to a major nuclear power plant.
