A 5.6 magnitude earthquake hit the Japanese region of Kyushu, announced the Euro-Mediterranean Seismological Center.
The quake, which struck the southernmost of its four main islands, occurred 40 kilometers below the earth’s surface.
The United States Geological Survey describes a magnitude 5.3 earthquake as moderate and a magnitude 6.3 earthquake as strong.
According to the Japan Meteorological Agency, the earthquake’s epicenter was located off the east coast of the Osumi Peninsula, in the southern part of the island.
Japan experiences frequent earthquakes due to its geographical location.
It sits on the “Ring of Fire” arc of volcanoes and ocean trenches that partially encircles the Pacific Basin.
In 2011, the deadly 9.0 magnitude Tohoku earthquake and tsunami killed nearly 20,000 people and caused three nuclear reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant to melt down.
