A tsunami alert has been issued following an earthquake in
Japan
The tsunami warning has been issued after a 7.2 magnitude
earthquake jolted Japan's northern island of Hokkaido.
Indonesia was also issued a tsunami warning following a 6.6
magnitude quake in Eastern Indonesia, however after no
reported damage Indonesia's Meteorology Agency has lifted the
warning.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre sent a message to countries in
the Pacific, telling them they're not in danger from the Indonesia
quake.
The US Geological Survey put quake that struck Halmahera, Indonesia at 12pm New Zealand time at 93.1km deep.
A resident at Ternate island, around 120 km south of the epicentresaid the quake was felt mildly and did not cause massive panic.
Suharjono, the head of the earthquake department at the meteorology agency said they had not received any reports of casualties or damage.
The USGS said the epicentre of the quake was 290 km east of Manado, the capital of North Sulawesi province.
Hokkaido, Japan was struck by a quake 58km in depth.
The USGS said the quake struck just off the coast, 112.7 km
southwest of Kushiro.
There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage.
Earthquakes are common in Japan, one of the world's most
seismically active areas. The country accounts for about 20% of the
world's earthquakes of magnitude 6 or greater.
In October 2004, an earthquake with a magnitude of 6.8 struck the
Niigata region in northern Japan, killing 65 people and injuring
more than 3,000.
That was the deadliest quake since a magnitude 7.3 tremor hit the
city of Kobe in 1995, killing more than 6,400
For more information about the quakes click here
