Earthquakes are common in Tokyo, but most of them are not too strong. A level 5 earthquake struck Tokyo early Monday morning, and woke many people from their sleep.
The earthquake is the strongest one recorded since the magnitude-9 earthquake and tsunami that occurred in March 2011 off the northeastern coast that left more than 18,500 people dead or missing.
Monday’s earthquake measured 6.2 magnitude on the Richter scale and had an epicenter 160 km below the ocean. There was no damage or injuries reported, but almost everyone in Tokyo felt the trimmer.
A lot of people tweeted about the earthquake and how it scared and shocked them.
Earthquake just rolled through Tokyo for about a straight minute. Wild. Around a 5 magnitude, it seems. Biggest I've ever felt here.
— John Mayer (@JohnMayer) May 4, 2014
Woke up to a moving bed and creaking sounds. Apparently Tokyo just had a 6.2 intensity earthquake. pic.twitter.com/5BHKybrJ9N
— Noel Perlas (@noelperlas) May 4, 2014
WHOOOA!!! Just went thru my 2nd EARTHQUAKE in TOKYO!!!
— Dante Inferno (@mrdanteinferno) May 4, 2014
Others joked about it.
And shaken awake by an earthquake – good morning Tokyo !!! Glad everyone is ok #shakennotstirred
— jason gilkison (@JasonGilkison) May 5, 2014
Here's your early morning Golden Week 6.2 magnitude earthquake Tokyo wake up call. pic.twitter.com/gTqk2oprNM
— Dame Seamus Brady (@iamseamusbrady) May 4, 2014
There's nothing like being woken up at 5am by an earthquake. I'm ok though, it wasn't Godzilla #tokyo
— DJ Spinbad (@djspinbad) May 4, 2014
Although this quake was not a strong one, it was much stronger than the last recoded Tokyo earthquake which occurred in Decemeber 2013 and measured 5.5 on the Richter scale.
It seems like the earthquakes may be growing stronger and many fear they could be leading up to a mega earthquake like the one that struck in 2011.
Tokyo is still trying to rebuild and recover after the 2011 earthquake, so even smaller quakes can make people nervous.
Did you feel the Monday morning earthquake in Tokyo?
Image via Wikimedia Commons