US experts on Monday upgraded the strength of the earthquake which rocked Japan last week from a magnitude of 8.9 to 9.0, making it the fourth largest in the world since 1900.
The US Geological Survey (USGS) said Japanese seismologists have also independently updated their estimate of the earthquake which struck northern Japan on Friday unleashing a devastating tsunami.
“The USGS often updates an earthquake’s magnitude following the event,” the US-based center said in a statement. “Updates occur as more data become available and more time-intensive analysis is performed.”
The USGS said on its Web site that quake magnitudes are often revised once its experts have received all the seismology reports from around the world and the estimates from other national and international agencies.
“Some methods give approximate values within minutes of the earthquake, and others require more complete data sets and extensive analysis,” it added.
It added that Friday’s quake was also the strongest ever recorded in Japan since modern readings began 130 years ago.
The largest earthquake ever recorded was in Chile on May 5, 1960, when a 9.5 temblor struck off the southern coast, the USGS said. More than 1,600 people were killed and 2 million left homeless.
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