Aftershocks in Japan

Since early this morning, I have sent emails to many of my Japanese friends. Only a few have been able to respond. It is my hope that everyone is OK.

My concern is the following statement from the WSJ, published about 20 min. ago:

"Even more ominously, the footprint of the aftershocks in Japan appeared to be spreading, not shrinking. Some 12 hours after the Sendai quake first struck, a new wave of seismic activity rocked the Japanese archipelago back and forth along both coasts. They raised the specter of a series of quakes extending throughout the country, which sits atop crisscrossing fault lines on the so-called Pacific Rim of Fire."

This is an account of the magnitude and location of the aftershocks:

"Just after 3:00 a.m. local time, a magnitude 6 earthquake struck Chiba and Ibaraki prefectures outside of Tokyo. Approximately an hour after that a major earthquake--this time measuring 6.6--struck mountainous Nagano prefecture in central Japan. That was followed minutes later by a 4.1 magnitude quake that once again rippled through Chiba and Ibaraki prefectures and then another smaller quake once again in Nagano. After shocks of these quakes could be felt in central Tokyo, where office buildings swayed gently--but noticeably -- throughout the predawn hours in Japan on Saturday."

WSJ Staff, 2011. Magnitude-8.9 quake, tsunami strike japan. The Wall Street Journal, Mar 11.

I remained very concerned about the entire area. These aftershocks are strong. The people must be frightened.

When I was in Japan in early Dec. there was a significant earthquake off the coast that shook Tokyo. I was at lunch in a hotel. It was a strange sensation.