5.5-magnitude quake strikes near Japan’s east coast – USGS

Dec 31, 2016 7:31 AM PHT

Agence France-Presse

SUMMARY

This is AI generated summarization, which may have errors. For context, always refer to the full article.

5.5-magnitude quake strikes near Japan’s east coast – USGS

The moderate earthquake hits at a shallow depth of 11 kilometers

TOKYO, Japan – A 5.5-magnitude earthquake hit near Japan’s east coast on Saturday, December 31, the United States Geological Survey said.

The moderate quake hit at a shallow depth of 11 kilometers, 244 kilometers northeast of Tokyo, just after 5:00 am.

Japan sits at the junction of 4 tectonic plates and experiences a number of relatively violent quakes every year. But rigid building codes and strict enforcement mean even strong tremors often do little damage.

On Wednesday, a 6.3-magnitude quake hit 18 kilometers north-northeast of the town of Daigo, but there were no reports of injuries or damage. – Rappler.com