An earthquake of magnitude 7.3 hit Japan's east coast on Saturday morning, Oct. 25, the USGS National Earthquake Information Center confirms. The earthquake hit Iwaki, Honshu, Japan at 2:10 a.m Tokyo time. Japan's emergency agencies declared a tsunami warning for the region, which includes the Fukushima nuclear site.
Japan's Meteorological Agency released a 3-foot tsunami warning for a Japan's northeastern coast. The U.S. Pacific Tsunami Warning Center did not post a warning for the rest of the Pacific.
Japanese broadcast NHK reported that Tokyo Electric Power Co., which operates the Fukushima nuclear plant, ordered workers at the plant to move to higher ground.
The earthquake's tremors were felt in Tokyo, which is located 300 miles away from Hoshnu. USGS reports that the earthquake was the result of faulting in the shallow oceanic crust due to the bending of the Pacific tectonic plate.
The earthquake may also release secondary shockwaves, which can do additional damage to weakened structures and can occur hours or even weeks after the quake.
Only two of Japan's 50 nuclear reactors have remained active since the March 2011 magnitude 9.0 earthquake and subsequent tsunami that killed about 19,000 people. The 2011 earthquake triggered meltdowns and radiation leaks at the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant, about 160 miles northeast of Tokyo.
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