A significant undersea earthquake occurred off the east coast of Japan on Monday. Initially, geologists reported the magnitude to be between 7.4 and 7.6, though they noted these figures are often adjusted later. The earthquake struck at 4:52 PM local time (9:52 AM German time), approximately 100 kilometers from the coast of Iwate Prefecture, in the northeastern part of Honshu, Japan’s main island. At the time of reporting, there were no initial mentions of any damages or casualties. Such powerful quakes are relatively common globally, occurring around 18 times per year. While strong property damage can result, an earthquake of this magnitude also carries the potential for tsunamis.