A strong 7.0-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of northern Japan on Friday, but no damage has been reported as of yet.
The earthquake struck around midday in the Pacific Ocean at a shallow depth of 6.2 miles off the coast of northern Japan and far eastern Russia. The epicenter was 160 miles east-northeast of Kuril'sk, Russia, and 328 miles northeast of Nemuro, Japan, the Associated Press reports.
The U.S. Geological Survey measured a stronger 7.2 magnitude quake.
According to the Japan Meteorological Agency, there was potential for the sea to change. An earthquake of this size has the potential to create tsunamis but a tsunami warning was not issued.
Japan and Russia both own some of the populated islands that are located in this remote region.
The closest land is the volcanic island of Urup, Iturup and Sumushir, but officials said these islands are not under Japanese control. This area is located about 930 miles northeast of Tokyo.
While this earthquake isn't very threatening to Japan, there have been other large earthquakes in recent months which served as a scare.
In December, a strong 7.3 magnitude quake struck in the Pacific Ocean and set off a tsunami warning. The quake struck off the coast of Miyagi in northeastern Japan, near where a massive devastating earthquake stuck in 2011. This earthquake shook buildings but no major damage was reported.
There was no doubt that those in Miyagi were on high alert as they were deeply affected by the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami. A massive 9.0 magnitude earthquake hit on March 11, 2011, which resulted in a tsunami that killed 19,000 people and destroyed much of the area.
Just a month earlier, another earthquake hit near Japan. In November, a 5.5 magnitude earthquake struck near Iwaki, Honshu. That quake did not cause major damage and no tsunami warning was issued.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
