Strong twin earthquakes that struck Japan on Thursday, August 8, have prompted the issuance of a tsunami warning. According to a statement from the United States Geological Survey (USGC), a 7.1 magnitude earthquake occurred after a 6.9 magnitude one.
Public broadcaster NHK reports that tsunami advisories were issued in a number of areas on the southwest Japanese islands of Kyushu and Shikoku.
The Pacific, North American, Philippine, and Eurasian plates are the four main tectonic plates on which Japan is situated. The region is highly complicated and prone to earthquakes because of the existence of these four plates rubbing against one another.
This is not the first time this year that Japan has had an earthquake with a magnitude of seven or higher on the Richter scale. Situated on the western coast of the seismically active nation, the Noto Peninsula was rocked by a strong 7.6 earthquake in the afternoon of January 1.
More than 120 people lost their lives as a result of the earthquake, leaving 30,000 homes in the Ishikawa region without power or water for several days.
