7.5 Quake Shakes Northern Pacific

A 7.5 magnitude earthquake struck in the northern Pacific on Wednesday and forecasters said tsunami waves were possible for the nearest shores. A brief tsunami watch for Hawaii was canceled. The quake struck 136 miles south-southeast of Severo on Russia's far eastern Kuril Islands, the US Geological Survey said. It was 37 miles deep. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center initially warned hazardous waves were possible in parts of the Kurils, but later said based on further analysis that waves of less than a foot above tide level were possible in the northern Pacific, the AP reports. The tsunami watch issued for Hawaii was halted shortly afterward. The Japan Meteorological Agency said the quake was a stronger 7.8 magnitude and may cause a slight change of sea levels around Japanese coasts. (More earthquake stories.)