At shortly after 8 a.m. on Tuesday, a tsunami advisory was issued for the coasts of Izu and Ogasawara following a magnitude 5.8 earthquake that struck off of Torishima Island in the Pacific Ocean. Less than two hours later the advisory was lifted. A lower level notice, warning about the possibility of slight changes in sea level remained in place. According to Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi, the government has not received any reports of damage from the earthquake or tsunami.
Tsunami Waves Spotted Around Izu and Ogasawara
The 5.8 quake struck at a depth of more than 10 kilometers at approximately 8:14 a.m. on Tuesday. As a result of the quake, the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) issued the tsunami advisory for Izu and Ogasawara islands. Waves of up to 1 meter were expected to arrive in the morning. At 8:58 a.m., a tsunami of 50 centimeters was observed at Yaene, Hachijojima. A 20-centimeter tsunami was observed on Kozu Island 36 minutes later. There were also 10-centimeter waves reported on Miyake Island and Izu-Oshima.
The earthquake occurred five days after a volcanic eruption warning for Smith Island – part of the Izu islands — was issued. Professor Fumihiko Imamura of the International Research Institute of Disaster Science at Tohoku University believes the earthquake and tsunami may have been related to volcanic activity. He feels volcanic activity in the area where the tsunami occurred could have caused the seafloor to uplift and subside. This may have triggered the waves. According to the JMA, since 2015 tsunamis have repeatedly occurred in the waters around Torishima even when the magnitude of the quake has been relatively small.
In response to the tsunami warning issued for the Izu Islands, Tokai Kisen suspended its high-speed boats between Tokyo and Oshima and between Atami and Oshima in Shizuoka Prefecture, on Tuesday.
