– Strong quake hits off NE Japan; no reported damage (Guardian/AP, August 19 2011):
Associated Press= TOKYO (AP) — A magnitude-6.8 earthquake struck off Japan’s northeastern coast Friday, triggering a tsunami advisory that was later lifted. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries in the temblor, which rattled the area devastated earlier this year by a massive quake and tsunami.
The 2:36 p.m. (0536 GMT) quake was centered about 185 miles (300 kilometers) northeast of Tokyo and at a depth of 12 miles (20 kilometers), slightly south of where the magnitude-9.0 temblor struck March 11, Japan’s Meteorological Agency said.
The agency issued a tsunami advisory, predicting waves of 20 inches (50 centimeters) along the coast of Miyagi and Fukushima prefectures, where a nuclear plant crippled by March’s quake-spawned tsunami is located. The agency lifted the advisory about 30 minutes later.