AS THE WORLD TURNS

TOKYO — Japan was rattled by a strong aftershock and tsunami warning Thursday night nearly a month after a devastating earthquake and tsunami flattened the northeastern coast.

The Japan meteorological agency issued a tsunami warning for a wave of up to one meter. The warning was issued for a coastal area already torn apart by last month's tsunami.

Officials say Thursday's quake was a 7.4-magnitude and hit 25 miles (40 kilometers) under the water and off the coast of Miyagi prefecture. The quake that preceded last month's tsunami was a 9.0-magnitude.

Buildings as far away as Tokyo shook for about a minute.

U.S. Geological Survey gave the preliminary magnitude as 7.4 and it struck off the eastern coast 60 miles (100 kilometers) from Sendai and 90 miles (140 kilometers) from Fukushima. It was about 215 miles (345 kilometers) from Tokyo.

The depth was 25 miles (40 kilometers). Shallower quakes tend to be more destructive.

Hundreds of aftershocks have shaken the northeast region devastated by the March 11 earthquake, but few have been stronger than 7.0.



And also today-

6.5 earthquake rattled Mexico on Thursday morning.

The quake occurred in the Vera Cruz region at 6:11 a.m. The quake was felt strongly in Chiapas and other parts of southeast Mexico. But the U.S. Geological Survey said it was not felt in the United States or along the California-Mexico border region.

There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage.
The quake was about 379 miles from Mexico City.



And on april 5th-

A 7.2 magnitude earthquake has hit the Mexican peninsula of Baja California, killing two people and causing tremors as far away as Nevada.
Some people are still trapped in their homes in the city of Mexicali, where a state of emergency has been declared.
The quake struck at 1540 (2240 GMT), 26km (16 miles) south-west of Guadalupe Victoria in Baja California, according to the US Geological Survey.
It was the worst quake to hit the region for many years, officials said.
The US Geological Survey said some 20 million people felt tremors from the largest quake to affect the area since 1992.

Mexican civil protection officials said a man had died when his home collapsed outside Mexicali, near the earthquake's epicentre.
Another man was run over by a car in Mexicali after he ran out of his house during the quake, officials said.

Rescue teams with digging equipment and sniffer dogs have been despatched to the worst-affected areas of Mexicali from the nearby city of Tijuana.
The regional government declared a state of emergency in Mexicali, a city of about 900,000 people.
The quake caused buildings to sway in Tijuana, where Easter celebrations were interrupted as families rushed for open ground.
There were power cuts and hospitals and public buildings were evacuated in Mexico's Baja California state.
In the United States, firefighters were called out to inspect roads, bridges and power-lines.
The LA Fire Department also responded to a number of automatic alarms and people being stuck in lifts, reports said.
Rides were temporarily suspended at the Disneyland theme park in California.

SIGNIFICANT EARTHQUAKES THUS FAR-2011

Magnitude 7.1 NEAR THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN April 07, 2011
Magnitude 6.5 VERACRUZ, MEXICO April 07, 2011
Magnitude 6.7 SOUTH OF JAVA, INDONESIA April 03, 2011
Magnitude 6.8 MYANMAR March 24, 2011
Magnitude 6.6 OFF THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN March 22, 2011
Magnitude 6.3 VANUATU March 17, 2011
Magnitude 9.0 NEAR THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN March 11, 2011
Magnitude 5.4 MYANMAR-CHINA BORDER REGION March 10, 2011
Magnitude 6.5 NEW BRITAIN REGION, PAPUA NEW GUINEA March 09, 2011
Magnitude 7.2 NEAR THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN March 09, 2011
Magnitude 6.6 SOLOMON ISLANDS March 07, 2011
Magnitude 6.5 SOUTH SANDWICH ISLANDS REGION March 06, 2011
Magnitude 4.7 ARKANSAS February 28, 2011
Magnitude 6.1 SOUTH ISLAND OF NEW ZEALAND February 21, 2011
Magnitude 4.1 ARKANSAS February 18, 2011
Magnitude 6.6 OFFSHORE MAULE, CHILE February 14, 2011
Magnitude 6.8 OFFSHORE BIO-BIO, CHILE February 11, 2011
Magnitude 6.5 CELEBES SEA February 10, 2011
Magnitude 7.2 SOUTHWESTERN PAKISTAN January 18, 2011
Magnitude 7.0 LOYALTY ISLANDS January 13, 2011
Magnitude 6.6 VANUATU January 09, 2011
Magnitude 4.1 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA January 08, 2011
Magnitude 7.1 ARAUCANIA, CHILE January 02, 2011
Magnitude 7.0 SANTIAGO DEL ESTERO, ARGENTINA January 01, 2011

The following items are important to have readily available in your home, situated in a central location:

Flashlight with extra batteries (preferably one for each individual)
Portable, battery-operated radio with extra batteries
Purchase and use "self powered radios" and "self powered flashlights". Batteries will be hard to find, if you can find them. Some models will charge cell phones, but the cell phone towers may be damaged, even destroyed.
Purchase and use "glow sticks". These are safer than candles, since you will be dealing with ruptured gas lines, flammable, explosive gas.
First aid kit and manual
Emergency food and water (some sources say you should have up to 2 weeks worth of extra food on hand in case rescue workers cannot reach your location)
Nonelectric can opener
Essential medicines
Cash and credit cards
Sturdy shoes for each family member.