A strong earthquake that struck in the Molucca Sea in the Western Pacific on Thursday morning could generate hazardous tsunami waves for coastal areas of Indonesia, U.S. authorities said, with other areas including Japan potentially seeing smaller waves.

The Japan Meteorological Agency issued a “tsunami forecast” warning of slight sea level changes for the nation’s Pacific coast, but this alert level does not predict damage.

The magnitude 7.6 quake struck off Indonesia at 7:48 a.m., according to the JMA.

The Hawaii-based Pacific Tsunami Warning Center put the quake at magnitude 7.4 and warned that waves of up to 1 meter could reach Indonesia. Areas including Japan, Guam, Malaysia and Palau could see waves of up to 30 cm, the agency said.

Adblock test (Why?)