A powerful earthquake struck northeastern Japan on Tuesday morning, briefly disrupting nuclear fuel cooling functions at the Fukushima No. 2 power plant and generating tsunami of over 1 meter in the region that was devastated by the Great East Japan Earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disaster five years ago
At least 14 people were injured by the quake, some with broken bones, the Associated Press reported, but otherwise widespread damage was averted. The Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant, which leaked radiation after the 2011 Japanese quake, reported no issues or damage.
The powerful earthquake stoked fears in an area still reeling from the catastrophic 2011 earthquake and tsunami. By comparison, the 2011 disaster produced a 30 to 60 foot tsunami that, in addition to the 9.1 magnitude earthquake, killed more than 15,000 people and inundated the entire coastline. Tuesday's 6.9 magnitude earthquake only generated a 4.6 foot tsunami, with only minor damage reported.
According to NBC News, the quake produced a smaller tsunami because it moved along a lateral slip, which doesn't usually create the violent vertical movement needed to trigger a big tsunami.
Immediately after the earthquake struck, there were fears that the earthquake could produce a tsunami wave 10 feet or higher, prompting a tsunami warning. Boats went out to sea to avoide damage and residents along the coast fled to higher ground, but an hour later, when the first waves arrived, it became clear that they weren't anywhere near the scale or magnitude of 2011's.
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