2nd Magnitude 5-plus Earthquake in a Week Strikes Japan
Japan's side of the "Ring of Fire" seems to be getting quite active these days. The country has received another 5.7 magnitude earthquake on Tuesday, a week after it experienced a tremor with the same intensity.
The 5.7-magnitude Tuesday temblor struck off the eastern Honshu coastline at 04:10 am local time (0040 IST). The area is located 25 kilometres (16 miles) from the city of Toba and 37 kilometres from the city of Ise, seismologists from the US Geological Survey said.
It had a depth of 332 kilometres.
"[It] seems the ring of fire is getting active, [and it] might be another big shocker coming [soon]; make sure you have an emergency kit and some sort of plan," a reader named StormR told Japan Today.
The "Ring of Fire" is a series of seismic fault lines enclosing the Pacific Ocean which create frequent seismic and volcanic activity.
On Nov 10, a 5.5-magnitude earthquake struck eastern Japan. The temblor, lasting 30 seconds, rocked buildings in Tokyo. Many people reported having felt it, despite its shallow depth of 59 kilometres. Coincidentally, the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant is located in eastern Japan.
Monitoring earthquakes big and small have become a major concern for Japan, ever since the devastating 9.0-magnitude sub-sea earthquake in March 2011. That particular temblor triggered a massive tsunami that ripped Japan's northeast coast, killing more than 18,000 people and leaving 25,000 others still missing.
The worst hit by the tsunami was the Fukushima nuclear power plant. The reactors faced meltdown, forcing tens of thousands of people to flee.
On Monday, Tokyo Electric Power Co. (Tepco), the operator of Fukushima nuclear plant, has began moving fuel rods from a reactor building. This signals the start of the long and hazardous process of decommissioning the facility. Authorities will also start removing 400 tonnes of highly irradiated spent fuel from that reactor.
"We will continue with the work from tomorrow and proceed, paying close attention to safety," Tepco said in a statement. The operator targets to complete the task in a year, a timeframe, which experts say, is highly ambitious.