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Two quakes hit Japan; no injury reports
(Agencies)
Updated: 2005-06-20 08:55

Two earthquakes rocked Japan's eastern coast in quick succession early Monday, swaying buildings in Tokyo for several seconds. There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage.

The first of the quakes registered a preliminary magnitude 5.6 and struck at 1:19 a.m. in Chiba state, to the east of Tokyo, the Meteorological Agency said. The second, a magnitude-4.1 temblor, hit at 1:34 a.m. in the same area, the agency said.

The strongest shaking was felt in the town of Hikari and Narita city, near Tokyo's international airport, the agency said. The earlier of the two temblors was also felt in downtown Tokyo, where buildings shook for less than 10 seconds.

The agency said there was no danger of tsunami, the potentially killer waves triggered by seismic activity.

A magnitude-5 quake can damage buildings if it is centered in a heavily populated area, while a magnitude-4 quake can shake buildings and cause hanging objects to sway. But because the epicenter of Monday's tremors was relatively deep underground — an estimated 30 miles — the impact was dampened.

Japan sits at the juncture of four tectonic plates — moving slabs of the earth's outer crust — and is one of the world's most quake-prone countries.



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