4 Large Quakes Hits Ring-of-Fire;
Mitch Battros - Earth Changes Media
So far, the worst of this series is Japan. The 6.7 magnitude earthquake rocked Japan's northwest coast on Monday, injuring at least 20 people, knocking over homes and triggering a series of small tsunamis. Several smaller aftershocks jolted the region.
National broadcaster NHK said one person had been injured and taken to hospital, but there were no more detailed reports on the severity of injuries. Kyodo News agency said "dozens" of homes were toppled in a town outside Niigata city near Tokyo.
Black smoke was seen pouring from the nearby Kashiwazaki nuclear plant, which was automatically shut down in the quake. NHK reported the smoke was caused by a fire in an electrical transformer, and that no radioactivity had been released.
The Meteorological Agency issued tsunami warnings along the coasts of Niigata Prefecture, warning of small tsunamis in other coasts, but no significant damage was expected. The warning was later lifted.
Waves as high as 50 centimeters (20 inches) were believed to have hit the coasts of northwestern prefecture (state) of Niigata, the agency said in a statement.
The tremor swayed buildings in Tokyo and was felt in wider areas including northern and central Japan. Several bullet train services linking Tokyo and northern and northwestern Japan have been suspended, public broadcaster NHK said.
All I can say at this point is I do not believe this series of quakes is over. I do not have any scientific evidence that a 5th quake will occur, but since seismic activity has been too quiet, tectonic plates have not had the typical release needed to minimize large activity.