7.4 Quake Hits Japan
Vocab level: C1
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We start in Japan where their week started with a tsunami warning following a powerful earthquake in the Pacific Ocean.
A 7.4 magnitude quake occurred Monday off the northeast coast of the country's largest island, Honshu.
According to the Japan Meteorological Agency, the epicenter occurred about 6 miles deep
and shockwave could be felt across the island.
A CNN producer in our Tokyo bureau says that her building shook for nearly seven minutes.
The quake triggered tsunami warnings throughout the region.
Some areas bracing for waves up to 10 ft high.
Evacuation orders were issued for more than 170,000 people across five regions.
Residents in areas under tsunami warnings should immediately evacuate to higher ground or safe elevated locations.
Those initial warnings were later downgraded
and as of this taping, there have been no reports of injuries or major damage to buildings.
Officials are still concerned that aftershocks of a similar magnitude could happen this week.
Japan is one of the most earthquake-prone countries on the planet, accounting for roughly one fifth of the world's six plus magnitude quakes.
It lies on the Ring of Fire, where the Pacific plate meets many surrounding tectonic plates.
It's an area of intense seismic and volcanic activity in the Pacific Ocean.
The worst quake in recent Japanese history was the 9.1 magnitude Tohoku earthquake in 2011,
which triggered a major tsunami and nuclear disaster in Fukushima.
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