日本外海再现7.1级地震 暂无海啸危险

A major earthquake struck off Japan's northeastern coast Sunday, prompting tsunami advisories that were later canceled, the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) said.

日本气象局称，日本东北外海周日发生一次严重地震，好在海啸预警稍后被取消。

Small tsunamis were observed along the coast, measuring between 10 and 20 centimeters, said the JMA.

在沿海地区，还是可以看到高度在10到20厘米的小型海啸。

There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage, according to the Japanese news agency Kyodo.

据日本共同社的报道，目前还没有收到伤亡消息。

The U.S. Geological Survey said the earthquake struck at 10:57 a.m. at the epicenter, about 130 miles east of Sendai. The earthquake was more than 20 miles deep and had a magnitude of 7.0, the USGS said.

美国地震监测局（后称USGS）称，这次地震发生在早晨10:57，据仙台以东130英里。震源有20英里深、强度7.0级。

The JMA measured the magnitude of the quake at 7.1.

日本气象局的测定强度是7.1级。

Tsunami advisories were issued -- and then canceled --for the coastal regions of Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima. The areas were among the hardest hit by this year's devastating earthquake and tsunami.

气象局稍后对岩手县、宫城县和福岛县发布了海啸预警——跟着又被取消了。这三个地区是在上次日本大地震中受灾最严重的地方。

Officials in Ofunato, a city in Iwate, advised residents to evacuate.

岩手县的大船渡市政府目前已建议居民撤离。

The JMA, immediately after the quake, forecast the height of the tsunami could reach half a meter (about 20 inches).

日本气象局在地震发生后曾立刻预测海啸高度将达到半米。

No immediate abnormalities were reported at nearby nuclear facilities, according to Kyodo.

共同社称，目前在核反应堆附近的设施还没有任何异常变化。

"It's just a continuing of the aftershocks of that devastating 9.0," said Dale Grant, a geophysicist with the USGS, referring to the March quake. "These kinds of aftershocks are likely to occur for some time."

USGS地球物理学专家Dale Grant称，这次地震是三月9级地震的余震，类似的地震有时候是会发生的。