A strong earthquake that measured 5.2 on the Richter Scale rocked the northern Japanese Island of Kokkaido at about at about 7:45 local time today . Three hours earlier a quake of similar strength off the Japanese Island of Japanese Island was felt in Kokkaido . However, both quakes were located deep below the earth's surface and therefore caused little damage, officials said. Every increase of one integer on the scale represents a tenfold increase in strength, thus a quake measuring one is ten times stronger than one of 4.2 . Today 's quakes caused little damage because they occurred far below the earth 's surface. The last quake to cause great destruction in Hokkaido occurred in today . It measure 7.9 and claimed 52 lives.
A strong earthquake that measured 5.2 on the Richter Scale rocked the northern Japanese Island of Kokkaido at about at about 7:45 local time today . Three hours earlier a quake of similar strength off the Japanese Island of Japanese Island was felt in Kokkaido . Every increase of one integer on the scale represents a tenfold increase in strength, thus a quake measuring one is ten times stronger than one of 4.2 . Today 's quakes caused little damage because they occurred far below the earth 's surface. The last quake to cause great destruction in Hokkaido occurred in today . It measure 7.9 and claimed 52 lives.