Moderate magnitude 4.5 earthquake strikes off the coast of Iwate, Japan

A moderate magnitude 4.5 earthquake struck the North Pacific Ocean on Wednesday afternoon, local authorities and seismic monitoring agencies confirmed. The tremor occurred at 4:14 pm local time (GMT +9) at a very shallow depth of 28 kilometers (18 miles). The epicenter of the quake was located approximately 181 kilometers east of Morioka, Iwate, Japan, and about 104 kilometers (65 miles) away from the Japanese coast.

Despite the earthquake occurring at a very shallow depth, there were no immediate reports of it being felt by residents along the coastal areas. The initial assessments indicate that the offshore seismic event did not result in any reported disruptions, damage, or casualties on the mainland, News.Az reports, citing Volcano Discovery.

The event was updated as of 09:15 GMT on Wednesday. While the magnitude was recorded at a moderate 4.5, its distance of over 100 kilometers from the nearest Japanese coastline significantly mitigated any immediate impact, leaving the event largely unnoticed or at least unreported by the public in the region.

News.Az 

By Leyla Şirinova