6.2 magnitude earthquake shakes Japanese island Hokkaido

June 11 (UPI) -- The Japanese island of Hokkaido was rattled by a 6.2 magnitude earthquake on Sunday.

Japan's Meteorological Agency recorded that the earthquake was felt at about 6:54 p.m. and it measured about 85 miles deep in the country's northernmost island. It originated off the coast of Urakawa. Long-period ground motion persisted throughout the island in the Ishikari, Shiribeshi, Iburi, Hidaka and Tokachi regions.

The agency said there is no tsunami expected to follow the earthquake, but the areas that experienced strong tremors have the potential for rockfalls and landslides. More earthquakes are also expected.

"Please pay attention to future seismic activity," the agency warned.

"In past cases, 10 to 20% of large earthquakes have been followed by similar earthquakes, so in areas with strong shaking, caution should be exercised for earthquakes with a maximum seismic intensity of about 5 lower for about a week after the earthquake. please. Especially in the next few days, there will be many large-scale earthquakes."

There are about 100 earthquakes with magnitudes of 6.1 to 6.9 each year, according to a report from Michigan Technological University. Earthquakes of this magnitude have the potential to cause large amounts of damage in very populated areas.

Hokkaido is the third-most populated of Japan's five main islands, with more than 5 million residents. The capital Sapporo is the most densely populated part of the island with an estimated 2 million residents. It is located in the southwestern part of the island and did not report seismic activity.

There have been no reports of casualties, according to Kyodo News.