A 5.0-magnitude earthquake on Sunday shook the eastern Japanese prefecture of Ibaraki, which is to the northeast of Tokyo, Sputnik quoted the Japan Meteorological Agency as saying. The earthquake was registered at 12:31 p.m. local time (3:31 GMT), with its epicenter located at a depth of 31 miles, according to the agency. Though a strong earthquake was registered, no tsunami warning was issued and there were no immediate reports of injuries or serious damage to infrastructure. The magnitude-5.0 quake measured 4 on the Japanese seismic intensity scale of 7 in Ibaraki Prefecture northeast of the capital and other areas, the Japan Meteorological Agency said. The focus was at a depth of 50 kilometers, with the epicenter in southern Ibaraki, the agency said. An intermediate to deep magnitude 4.8 earthquake was reported early afternoon near Rumoi, Rumoi-shi, Hokkaido, Japan. According to the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ), the quake hit on Sunday at 2:21 p.m. local time at an intermediate to considerable depth of 252 km. The strength of the earthquake may have been tempered by its relative great depth below the surface, which makes it feel weaker in absolute terms. The exact magnitude, epicenter, and depth of the quake might be revised within the next few hours or minutes as seismologists review data and refine their calculations, or as other agencies issue their report. Our monitoring service identified a second report from the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC). which listed the quake at magnitude 4.9. Towns or cities near the epicenter where the quake might have been felt as very weak shaking include Rumoi (pop. 26,500) located 77 km from the epicenter. — Agencies
