Several Large Japan Quakes Rattle Region Overnight

A 6.8 magnitude quake occurred at 11:08 p.m. HST on 3/13/12 off the east coast of Honshu Japan. Map courtesy USGS.

By Wendy Osher

A year after the devastating Japan earthquake and tsunami in March of 2011, the East Coast of Honshu Japan recorded four sizable quakes overnight.

The first and largest was a 6.8 in magnitude that occurred at 11:08 p.m. (Tuesday, March 13, 2012) Hawaii time.

The quake was centered 145 miles south of Kushiro, Hokkaido, Japan, and 457 miles northeast of Tokyo, Japan.

A smaller 6.1 quake was reported at 12:49 a.m. today; and a two 5.7 quakes in the same region were reported at 12:57 a.m., and 2:05 a.m.

None of the quakes posed a tsunami threat to the state.

***Supporting information courtesy USGS.