Tsunami Waves Formed After 6.6 Magnitude Earthquake Hits Japan

Tsunami waves measuring up to 30 cm in height were observed on at least one of the Izu islands in Japan following a 6.6 magnitude earthquake in the western Pacific Ocean late Thursday morning.

The quake struck at 11 a.m. near Torishima in the Izu chain of Japan at a depth of 10 kilometres, with the Meteorological Agency issuing a tsunami advisory and originally forecasting waves of up to 1 meter for the remote chain of islands lying south of Tokyo.

The advisory has since been lifted.

People in coastal areas and near river mouths were advised to retreat to higher ground.

The tsunami was originally predicted to arrive along the Izu islands at various times, including at Hachijo-jima at 11:50 a.m. and Izu Oshima at noon. A 30 cm tsunami was reported to have been observed at Hachijo-jima (Yaene) at 12:17 p.m

According to the agency, seismic activity had been observed throughout the past week in the same area of the western Pacific Ocean beginning Monday and leading up to Thursday morning’s earthquake. Other quakes above magnitude 6 have also been observed in recent days.