A 5.6 earthquake struck Japan off Honshu Island early Friday morning at 3:35 a.m of July 7, 2011. This is the same area the devastating 9.0 earthquake ravaged last March knocking out power at the Fukushima power plant.
US Geological Survey said that the epicenter of the quake was about 51 miles south-southeast of the nuclear plant and about 120 miles northeast of Tokyo.
No tsunami watch was issued and no reports of damage to properties was reported. A magnitude 5.6 can cause major damage to poorly constructed buildings near the epicenter. Japan is known to have high earthquake-proof building standards; little damage is expected to intact buildings.
The USGS reports a series of smaller earthquakes in the last week in the same area, which runs along a fault zone.
Source:
http://news.yahoo.com/5-6-quake-rattles-japan-near-fukushima-192228838.html
http://www.thirdage.com/news/japan-quake-strikes-near-nuclear-plant_07-07-2011
