Moderate quake hits northern Japan

Posted: 10 August 2010 1516 hrs

TOKYO: A 5.8-magnitude earthquake hit northern Japan Tuesday, but there was no tsunami warning and no immediate reports of damage, US and Japanese seismologists said.

The underwater quake occurred at 2:50 pm (0550 GMT) off Iwate prefecture in the Pacific, 515km (320 miles) north of Tokyo, according to the US Geological Survey.

Its depth was estimated at 21km, the USGS said.

No tsunami warning was issued by the Japan Meteorological Agency.

Around 20 per cent of the world's most powerful earthquakes strike Japan, which has developed one of the most sophisticated tsunami warning systems.

-AFP/wk