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Japan's Meteorological Agency mistakenly issued a magnitude 9.9 earthquake warning for a 6.9 tremor near Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula. The alert, which forecast strong shaking across Japan, was canceled within minutes.
Japan’s Meteorological Agency (JMA) mistakenly issued an early warning estimating a magnitude 9.9 earthquake and forecasting strong shaking across much of the country. The actual earthquake measured magnitude 6.9 near Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula.
The alert was issued at approximately 12:36 p.m. Friday in Japan, late Thursday in the United States, and canceled at 12:48 p.m., according to NHK. It warned of strong shaking across northern and central Japan, including the Tokyo region. Hindustan Times reported that the false emergency warning covered a large area from Hokkaido to the Tokai region and set off alarms on public speakers and mobile phones.
An early-warning display identified the location as the Kuril Islands region and showed an estimated magnitude of 9.9 at a depth of 140 kilometers (87 miles). The JMA stated it had overestimated the magnitude of the quake when retracting the alert.
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) measured the actual earthquake at magnitude 6.9, locating its epicenter approximately 76 kilometers (47 miles) northeast of Ozernovskiy, Russia. Its estimated depth was 143.2 kilometers (89 miles). The European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) initially calculated the magnitude as 7 but later updated it to 6.9, with a depth of 130 km. The US National Tsunami Warning Center said there was no danger following the tremors.
According to NHK, the earthquake did not produce shaking in Japan and no tsunami warnings were issued. The meteorological agency said it will investigate the error.
A magnitude 9.9 earthquake would be the largest ever recorded, exceeding the magnitude 9.5 quake that struck Chile in 1960, according to the USGS. It would release roughly 32,000 times as much energy as the actual magnitude 6.9 earthquake that struck Kamchatka. The incident highlights the potential for significant public alarm caused by errors in automated early-warning systems, even when the underlying seismic event is relatively minor.
Sources
This article was drafted with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. Company claims are reported as claims. Cover image is AI-generated.
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