Japan - Tsunamis fail to materialize

A series of massive earthquakes fail to produce predicted tsunamis

Besides a series of aftershocks following a massive 8.1 quake off the coast of Japan, a tsunami has failed to materialize. Several warnings were issued after the 8.1 earthquake hit at 11:14 GMT [22:14 local time]. Its depth was measured at 27 km and the USGS has since reported at least 5 aftershocks. Thousands fled parts of north-east Hokkaido, but after more than two hours it was clear that there was little threat to the coastal areas. The BBC / Sky News and CNN all covered the story with some depth whilst the newest broadcaster on the block, Al Jazeera English, only glanced over the story. In December 2004 a massive tsunami, triggered by a 7.8 earthquake near Indonesia, killed more than 250,000 throughout southern Asia and as far as Africa [Wikipedia - Indian Ocean earthquake 2004] .