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Luis Miguel 1162 61587 Lima	RE: ARE WE NOW IN THE END TIMES? 2/25/2011 4:06:54 PM
	Archangel Metatron: “Earthquakes: Why the Earth is Shaking” Posted on February 24, 2011 by kauilapele Earthquakes: Why the Earth is Shaking Archangel Metatron via James Tyberonn Greeting Beloved!I am Metatron, Lord of Light, and I welcome you tothis NOW moment, as I encircle each you with Celestial Light. A recent surge of Earthquakes has shaken your planet over the past seven days. Loss of life has occurred in New Zealand.We understand the deep trauma and sorrow of New Zealand, as well as the great pain and misery that accompany all such catastrophic incidents as occurred in the quakes in Haiti and Chile and indeed the tsunami of Indonesia. Being human at this time of shift on the Earth is extremely difficult for so many, and we ask all of you to offer your prayers to those that are experiencing agonizing loss. We of the angelic realm are with you. Although there was a tragic loss of lives and devastation to the land and structures near Christchurch, these quakes are not meant as any karma, as any punishment or in truth as anything negative. Masters, we tell you that what is taking place must transpire. It is a requisite realignment. In New Zealand, there will be more aftershocks, some high on the Richter scale for the next few months, but the aftershocks will not bring the destruction that was experienced with this one. It is the earth shifting, transiting into new energy. Dear Ones, we feel your pain at these losses, and we honour you so much for holding the energy of change throughout the hardships you are enduring. We truly do understand the sadness of duality realms. We encircle you in love through these times of transition. But understand that everything happening is by choice, and that courageous and sacred choice that humanity has made, is to Ascend. We will also tell you that while difficult, such events bring people together, and truly bring out the best in humanity,pulling together to help one another. So please allow us to update you on what is taking place both from a linear and higher dimensional perspective. We speak on why the earth is shaking. These quakes are for the most part happening on areas that are tectonic shift-faulted areas, but also in fulcrum areas that are major grid points for the new Earth, and in this case New Zealand and indeed Christchurch are both.There were many other earthquakes across the planet the same day as in New Zealand,in Colombia, Angola, Egypt, Iceland and Chile….all in the 4.0-5.3 range. None of these had loss of life, but the numerous locales of tremor & quake are indeedevidence of the planetary shift now occurring and in factquickening. We tell you that places that have no had quakes in centuries, even thousands of years will soon shake, including the Americas, Africa, Asia, Europe,UK and Australia. Most of you are well aware that your planet is undergoing many changes at present, and we wish to re-emphasize a key understanding: and so we tell you again that these metastasis are not only appropriate, but are the necessary means that enable the Earth, and mankind release the old and shift upward into new energy.These earthquakes are designed to clean, clear and up shift the vibrations of the planet as are the other dynamic -earth occurrences that so often are misunderstood. So we ask you to recognize that the ongoing increased activity of earthquakes, tsunamis, global warming, and super hurricanes are not to be feared or stopped. This is not the case. These events indeed are quite necessary for the evolution. The evolution you call Planetary Ascension. The clearances from the quakes and such effect the conscious fields of energy of the living earth, releasing, recoding and the realigning all that touches upon it as well. In this way a new consciousness, a New Earth begins to move forward. Yet the fear still persists, and that is natural and indeed understandable. Even those of you in so called safe-areas that are not directly effected are subconsciously quite aware of the previous global cataclysms that inundated Atlantis, LeMuria and beyond. Four times, Dear Ones, has mankind’s existence on the planet been all but removed. So we understand why you fear that the quakes, planetary warming, the volcanic eruptions, the storms, and the potential of magnetic shifts will create yet another ‘rebooting’ , a global cataclysm that eradicates life as you know it. The rebooting will occur, indeed, but we tell you that for now it will be a more gradual shift, depending somewhat on the mass reaction of humanity. Despite the dramatic histrionics of your news media and cinematographer, 2012 will not be a Global Destruction.Prior to the Harmonic Convergence of 34 years ago, it indeed would have been, but you changed that. Kryon, the Magnetic Master has told you, over a decade ago,of the change brought about by the Harmonic Convergence, of how humanity met the measure of Light and scripted the Ascension to take place. So we l tell you, that the fears of an axial tilt and magnetic pole shift that been dramatically projected in media and movies will not occur. Such fear can be requited. The planetary axis will not tilt in the feared devastating degree, no destructive meteor will crash into the earth, and the magnetic poles will not shift in 2012. So we say again that it is in fact humanities measurement and choice that has determined that there will NOT be a great global cataclysm, a massive destruction on a worldwide arena. Rather the cleansing will be on smaller localized settings, and humanity will indeed now move forward to the next level. Make no mistake, Dear Ones, the changes to allow the clearing will and must continue and if the masses were to be duly educated and open to the stance and vision of higher good, such appropriate changes could be made much more easily, and sooner rather than later. Yet many among humanity are those who wish to ‘save the planet’ in your terms. Many of you still misunderstand that the changes are requisite, and indeed the planet is not dependent on humanities salvation. So how is this managed?It would be more congruous if the alignment with the conscious earth were to be optimal and more synchronistic. It is of benefit that you are beginning to establish a more realistic functional dialogue of comprehension between the earth and humankind. Those of you who have spent lifetimes as the Earth-Keepers, the indigenous, the Druid, the Atla-Ra, are here now specifically to hold the energy of these dialogues, and they are occurring now more readily. It is why you are being drawn to powernodes, vortexial-portal creation points and recoding the Sun-Disc. The difficulty with many others who are well intended, is that they are not intuned, not of a high enough light quotient to accept the true paradigm of the nature of reality. And so these masses, while they wish to assist, truly know not how. They believe that to prevent the change or to move it elsewhere is appropriate; better there than here, you see? Not all that wish to assist truly understand the greater good, the higher purpose of those events you term super hurricanes, volcanics, earthquakes and tsunamis. So most simply react in fear to these events, and wish to be free of the anxiety. But to avoid fear is not the same as understanding the fear and therefore the masses of humankind transmute and actually recreate it. To dissolve or to dissipate events of change is not necessarily of benefit, not to the earth and not to humanity.The difficulty with those that wish to assist is that they believe they know better & believe they are more academic in their understanding. Yet they omit the divine, they omit the integrity of that termed spirit, the metaphysical. They do not understand or see the perfection in what takes place because there is great difficulty for those in not understanding that all is in perfection, that all is in good order, then in essence, they do not add grease to the squeaky wheel, rather, they try to prevent the cogs from turning which then become still and stuck and so the evolution becomes that much more difficult, you see? Always fear is the great culprit. We have told you that the primary cause of global warming is the increase in spin of the inner molten core (iron-nickel) of the earth. The accelerated spin, increases the inner & outer core mass. The heat generated has a profound effect on the mantle, and effects axial rotation ratio. It is the very mechanism of this torque change that is increasing the flash of linear time sequence on your planet. It is also the expanded mass of the inner core that subsequently amplifies the anionic discharge you term the Schumann Resonance, axial tilt, and indeed the very polarity of the planet. At present this adjustment is not complete. And as a result there is currently an imbalance within the center of the planet, within the very core. This imbalance is caused by the instability created by the fore mentioned increased spin; how the core spins both clockwise and counterclockwise. And so then there must be a balancing upon the earth as well. Otherwise, without such balance the earth cannot truly move into its higher octaves in requisite preparation for receival of higher dimensions. So in truth and in irony, the paradox and greater reality unknown to masses of mankind is that without such balancing of the electromagnetics, there would be even more earth changes. There would be first an earthquake, then the hurricane and tornado to balance, you see? Then another earthquake, then the hurricane and tornado creating a pattern of its own, which would not be of assistance. In this way, then, there is an anticipatory energy of how electromagnetics move about the planet, circulating about the grid system and then permeating the earth and then balancing within as well. It is not done necessarily to prevent earth changes, but to bring balance where balance is appropriate. The imbalance, left unadjusted, we assure you, would lead to cataclysm on the macro scale. Better then that the micro events occur to bring the balance and in so doing prevent the macro you see. In kind, there have been coronal mass ejections, solar storms creating what is called solar winds that have been greater and greater and greater in intensity, some of the largest ever recorded. So you ask what is the role of the solar winds, or the coronal mass ejections on the ascension of the planet? We tell you these are changing the vibration that affects the earth. They change the frequencies at which humanity’s minds operate. They provide the interface to higher dimensional access. And so we tell you the why of the tremors on the Earth, we have addressed why the Earth has chosen to shake. Dear Ones, it is for the Ascension, the Ascension that you have created. So understand, Humans, that the earthquakes,the hurricanes offer further clearing, and soften and brighten the of your power nodes and planetary meridiens. The shaking is by no means retribution, but rather as a beautiful recalibration, as a softening of the pendulum of duality and an expansion into higher dimension. . So those of you of higher light quotient should be aware of the ‘whys’ of what is taking place, and indeed from your higher aspects, humanity is joyous of the graduation of the Earth. It is up to you in micro and macro to determine if you will react to it in fear or with a restructuring calibration in the linear. The Earth is an omnipotent presence. The Earth cannot be destroyed. Whether you accept it or not, nothing is taken from the Earth that the Earth does not allow. Man cannot destroy the earth, only his ability to live on her. The Earth was just as conscious as a burning sphere of lava, as she is now. The changes that are coming are agreed to by Gaia, by mankind’s Higher Consciousness and indeed to a great degree orchestrated by the sentience of earth, sun and that you term Creator God. Know that all is in perfect order. And so Dear Ones, before we close this message, we tell you that there is even greater life that circles about and above you, above the sacred Earth above the changing Earth. These energies are now flowing into your field of awareness. It is light of a subtle nature. It is not the light of expectation, for it is does not hold logic, rather it is the light of comfort, of wellness, and indeed carries the energy of ‘home’ of the angelic realm. We will say to you upon this special planet of duality, this beloved and sacred Earth, that all who open and allow this Celestial Light to enter their sphere of influence, their field of consciousness, will immediately find themselves blessed in spirit, and glowing in divine serenity. This energy is quiet, this energy is reconciling, and this energy connects each of you to your divinity, to your true celestial home. It is available to all who open and readily so. This light, this energy encompasses and creates a place of healing and wellness. Humans on the path as yet do not always seek to include wellness in their search for understanding, but all of you should, as it is complimentary to truth and all parts of your trinity being cry out for it, for the times are changing, and we are ever with you, ever here to assure you that all is well, even in trying times. I am Metatron, and I share with you these sacred Truths. And we tell you that each and every one of you are Beloved. You are not alone. …And so it is.
	"Choose a job you love and you will not have to work a day in your life" (Confucius)
	+1

Luis Miguel 1162 61587 Lima	RE: ARE WE NOW IN THE END TIMES? 3/9/2011 12:08:53 AM
	Millions of dead fish turn up in southern California marina in third bizarre mass animal death in the U.S. in past few months By DAILY MAIL REPORTER Last updated at 11:52 PM on 8th March 2011 Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1364318/Millions-dead-fish-turn-southern-California-marina.html#ixzz1G3XwJWYF It’s been a couple of months since a large group of animals has baffled locals and scientists alike by mysteriously turning up dead, but it appears the trend continues this week in Los Angeles. Millions of small fish, including anchovies, mackerel and sardines, washed up dead in the middle of the night in Redondo Beach, California, in another bizarre mass death that has authorities puzzled and looking for a cause. Boaters woke up this morning to find the dead fish up to a foot deep from the water’s surface at King Harbor Marina, which is about 22 miles south of Los Angeles. Fishy: Millions of small fish, including anchovies, mackerel, sardines, washed up dead in the middle of the night in Redondo Beach, California 'We're having millions of anchovies die off in our harbour. At this point it's an unknown reason,' Redondo Beach Police Sgt Phil Keenan said. Staci Gabrielli, marine co-ordinator for King Harbor Marina, on the Los Angeles County coast, has an idea about how this happened. Swept Away: It was high winds in the area last night that swept the fish into the harbour, clogging the waterways for boaters SoCal: Redondo Beach, population 63,261, is located in the South Bay region of the greater Los Angeles area. The Municipal Pier and beach are popular with tourists Gabrielli suspects that the silvery fish were attempting to escape a red tide, a naturally occurring rapid accumulation of algae in a water column, which will poison fish or starve them of oxygen. What is clear is that it was high winds in the area last night that swept the fish into the harbour, clogging the waterways for boaters. The wall of fish was so thick in spots that boats were unable to move, according to Gabrielli. Nature: Some suspect that the silvery fish were attempting to escape a red tide, which is a naturally occurring rapid accumulation of algae in a water column Authorities specializing in fish and game arrived at King Harbor Marina this morning to begin taking samples of the dead fish. ‘All evidence points to oxygen deprivation as cause of death. There is no oil sheen, nor is there a chemical sheen,’ California Department of Fish and Game spokesman Andrew Hughan said. Stuck: Boaters woke up this morning to find the dead fish up to a foot deep from the water's surface at King Harbor Marina, which is about 22 miles south of Los Angeles One thing is certain though – with temperatures set to hit 20C today in the area, the marina is going to smell pretty fishy. This mass death of fish follows the mystery of over 3000 blackbirds falling from the sky in New Year’s Eve last year in Beebe, Arkansas. Fireworks were ultimately believed to be the culprit in that case, but the mystery is officially unsolved. Just a few days later, a similar incident occurred in 500 red-winged blackbirds fell from the sky in Pointe Coupee, Louisiana. Around the same time early this year, approximately 80,000 to 100,000 fish washed up dead on the shores of the Arkansas River near the city of Ozark. Millions: The situation follows an incident earlier this year when approximately 100,000 dead fish turned up in the Arkansas river Clean up: Workers are attempting to clean up the harbour before it begin to smell a bit fishy. Temperatures set to hit 20C today in the area Deprivation: California Department of Fish and Game spokesman Andrew Hughan said today that he believes oxygen deprivation caused the mass death Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1364318/Millions-dead-fish-turn-southern-California-marina.html#ixzz1G3XCHByz
	"Choose a job you love and you will not have to work a day in your life" (Confucius)
	+1

Myrna 6311 16559 Waynes...	RE: ARE WE NOW IN THE END TIMES? 3/9/2011 3:46:04 AM
	Hi Luis, This just came in: Northern Japan hit by 7.2 magnitude earthquake A magnitude 7.2 earthquake has hit northern Japan, prompting the country's meteorological agency to issue a tsunami alert for the northeastern coast.
	LOVE IS THE ANSWER
	+0

Luis Miguel

1162

61587

Lima

RE: ARE WE NOW IN THE END TIMES?

3/11/2011 9:27:36 AM

Major tsunami damage in N Japan after 8.9 quake

TODAY - March 11, 2011

Huge tsunami slams Japan following quake

Widespread damage is reported along the coast after a 13-foot wave crashes ashore. Sirens sound in Hawaii

By MALCOLM FOSTER, Associated Press – 34 mins ago

TOKYO – A magnitude 8.9 earthquake slammed Japan's eastern coast Friday, unleashing a 13-foot (4-meter) tsunami that swept boats, cars, buildings and tons of debris miles inland. Fires triggered by the quake burned out of control up and down the coast, including one at an oil refinery.

At least one person was killed and there were reports of several injuries in Tokyo, hundreds of miles (kilometers) away, where buildings shook violently through the main quake and the wave of massive aftershocks that followed. A tsunami warning was issued for dozens of Pacific countries, as far away as Chile.

Japan's meteorological agency said that within two hours, large tsunamis washed ashore into dozens of cities along a 1,300-mile (2,100-kilometer) stretch of the country's eastern shore — from the northern island of Hokkaido to central Wakayama prefecture.

Prime Minister Naoto Kan said the quake caused "major damage in broad areas" but nuclear power plants in the area were not affected. The government prepared to send troops to the quake-hit areas.

"This is a rare major quake, and damages could quickly rise by the minute," said Junichi Sawada, an official with Japan's Fire and Disaster Management Agency.

TV footage showed waves of muddy waters sweeping over farmland near the city of Sendai, carrying buildings, some on fire, inland as cars attempted to drive away. Sendai airport, north of Tokyo, was inundated with cars, trucks, buses and thick mud deposited over its runways. Fires spread through a section of the city, public broadcaster NHK reported.

The tsunami also roared over embankments in Sendai city, washing cars, houses and farm equipment inland before reversing directions and carrying them out to sea. Flames shot from some of the houses, probably because of burst gas pipes.

Elsewhere, large fishing boats lay upturned on land, some distance from the sea.

Officials were trying to assess damage, injuries and deaths but had no immediate details. Police said at least one person was killed in a house collapse in Ibaraki prefecture, just northeast of Tokyo.

Click image to see photos of quake, tsunami damage

REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon

A large fire erupted at the Cosmo oil refinery in Ichihara city in Chiba prefecture near Tokyo and was burning out of control with 100-foot (30 meter) -high flames whipping into the sky.

NHK showed footage of a large ship being swept away by the tsunami and ramming directly into a breakwater in Kesennuma city in Miyagi prefecture.

In various locations along the coast, footage showed massive damage from the tsunami, with cars, boats and even buildings being carried along by waters. Partially submerged vehicles were seen bobbing in the water.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake was a magnitude 8.9, while Japan's meteorological agency measured it at 8.4. It struck at 2:46 p.m. and was followed by 12 powerful aftershocks, seven of them at least 6.3, the size of the quake that struck New Zealand recently.

A tsunami warning was extended to a number of Pacific, Southeast Asian and Latin American nations, including Japan, Russia, Indonesia, New Zealand and Chile. In the Philippines, authorities said they expect a 3-foot (1-meter) high tsunami.

The quake struck at a depth of six miles (10 kilometers), about 80 miles (125 kilometers) off the eastern coast, the agency said. The area is 240 miles (380 kilometers) northeast of Tokyo.

In downtown Tokyo, large buildings shook violently and workers poured into the street for safety. TV footage showed a large building on fire and bellowing smoke in the Odaiba district of Tokyo.

Several nuclear plants along the coast were partially shut down, but there were no reports of any radioactive leakage.

In central Tokyo, trains were stopped and passengers walked along the tracks to platforms. NHK said more than 4 million buildings were without power in Tokyo and its suburbs.

The ceiling in Kudan Kaikan, a large hall in Tokyo, collapsed, injuring an unknown number of people, NHK said.

Osamu Akiya, 46, was working in Tokyo at his office in a trading company when the quake hit.

It sent bookshelves and computers crashing to the floor, and cracks appeared in the walls.

"I've been through many earthquakes, but I've never felt anything like this," he said. "I don't know if we'll be able to get home tonight."

Footage on NHK from their Sendai office showed employees stumbling around and books and papers crashing from desks. It also showed a glass shelter at a bus stop in Tokyo completely smashed by the quake and a weeping woman nearby being comforted by another woman.

Several quakes had hit the same region in recent days, including a 7.3 magnitude one on Wednesday.

Thirty minutes after the main quake, tall buildings were still swaying in Tokyo and mobile phone networks were not working. Japan's Coast Guard has set up a task force and officials are standing by for emergency contingencies, Coast Guard official Yosuke Oi said.

"I'm afraid we'll soon find out about damages, since the quake was so strong," he said.

In Tokyo, hundreds of people were evacuated from Shinjuku train station, the world's busiest, to a nearby park. Trains were halted.

Tokyo's main airport was closed. A large section of the ceiling at the 1-year-old airport at Ibaraki, about 50 miles (80 kilometers) northeast of Tokyo, fell to the floor with a powerful crash.

Dozens of fires were reported in northern prefectures of Fukushima, Sendai, Iwate and Ibaraki. Collapsed homes and landslides were also reported in Miyagi.

Japan's worst previous quake was in 1923 in Canto, which killed 143,000 people, according to USGS. An earthquake in Kobe city in 1996 killed 5,502 people.

___

Associated Press writers Jay Alabaster, Mari Yamaguchi, Tomoko A. Hosaka and Yuri Kageyama contributed to this report.

"Choose a job you love and you will not have to work a day in your life" (Confucius)

Luis Miguel

1162

61587

Lima

RE: ARE WE NOW IN THE END TIMES?

3/11/2011 3:06:48 PM

More on the 8.9 eathquake and tsunami in Japan

Hundreds killed in tsunami after 8.9 Japan quake

A 23-foot tsunami unleashed by one of the most powerful quakes in history leaves hundreds dead.

By MALCOLM FOSTER, Associated Press – 32 mins ago

TOKYO – A ferocious tsunami spawned by one of the largest earthquakes ever recorded slammed Japan's eastern coast Friday, killing hundreds of people as it swept away boats, cars and homes while widespread fires burned out of control.

Hours later, the tsunami hit Hawaii and warnings blanketed the Pacific, as far away as South America, Canada, Alaska and the entire U.S. West Coast.

Police said 200 to 300 bodies were found in the northeastern coastal city of Sendai. Another 88 were confirmed killed and at least 349 were missing. The death toll was likely to continue climbing given the scale of the disaster.

The magnitude 8.9 offshore quake unleashed a 23-foot (7-meter) tsunami and was followed by more than 50 aftershocks for hours, many of them of more than magnitude 6.0.

Dozens of cities and villages along a 1,300-mile (2,100-kilometer) stretch of coastline were shaken by violent tremors that reached as far away as Tokyo, hundreds of miles (kilometers) from the epicenter.

"The earthquake has caused major damage in broad areas in northern Japan," Prime Minister Naoto Kan said at a news conference.

The government ordered thousands of residents near a nuclear power plant in Onahama city to evacuate because the plant's system was unable to cool the reactor. The reactor was not leaking radiation but its core remained hot even after a shutdown. The plant is 170 miles (270 kilometers) northeast of Tokyo.

Trouble was reported at two other nuclear plants as well, but there was no radiation leak at any.

Japan's coast guard said it was searching for 80 dock workers working on a ship that was swept away from a shipyard in Miyagi prefecture.

Click image to see photos of quake, tsunami damage

Reuters/Kyodo

Even for a country used to earthquakes, this one was of horrific proportions because of the tsunami that crashed ashore, swallowing everything in its path as it surged several miles (kilometers) inland before retreating. The apocalyptic images of surging water broadcast by Japanese TV networks resembled scenes from a Hollywood disaster movie.

Large fishing boats and other sea vessels rode high waves into the cities, slamming against overpasses or scraping under them and snapping power lines along the way. Upturned and partially submerged vehicles were seen bobbing in the water. Ships anchored in ports crashed against each other.

The highways to the worst-hit coastal areas were severely damaged and communications, including telephone lines, were snapped. Train services in northeastern Japan and in Tokyo, which normally serve 10 million people a day, were also suspended, leaving untold numbers stranded in stations or roaming the streets. Tokyo's Narita airport was closed indefinitely.

Jesse Johnson, a native of the U.S. state of Nevada, who lives in Chiba, north of Tokyo, was eating at a sushi restaurant with his wife when the quake hit.

"At first it didn't feel unusual, but then it went on and on. So I got myself and my wife under the table," he told The Associated Press. "I've lived in Japan for 10 years and I've never felt anything like this before. The aftershocks keep coming. It's gotten to the point where I don't know whether it's me shaking or an earthquake."

Waves of muddy waters flowed over farmland near the city of Sendai, carrying buildings, some on fire, inland as cars attempted to drive away. Sendai airport, north of Tokyo, was inundated with cars, trucks, buses and thick mud deposited over its runways. Fires spread through a section of the city, public broadcaster NHK reported.

More than 300 houses were washed away in Ofunato City alone. Television footage showed mangled debris, uprooted trees, upturned cars and shattered timber littering streets.

The tsunami roared over embankments, washing anything in its path inland before reversing directions and carrying the cars, homes and other debris out to sea. Flames shot from some of the houses, probably because of burst gas pipes.

"Our initial assessment indicates that there has already been enormous damage," Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano said. "We will make maximum relief effort based on that assessment."

He said the Defense Ministry was sending troops to the quake-hit region. A utility aircraft and several helicopters were on the way.

A large fire erupted at the Cosmo oil refinery in Ichihara city in Chiba prefecture and burned out of control with 100-foot (30 meter) -high flames whipping into the sky.

From northeastern Japan's Miyagi prefecture, NHK showed footage of a large ship being swept away and ramming directly into a breakwater in Kesennuma city.

NHK said more than 4 million buildings were without power in Tokyo and its suburbs.

Also in Miyagi, a fire broke out in a turbine building of a nuclear power plant, but it was later extinguished, said Tohoku Electric Power Co. the company said.

A reactor area of a nearby plant was leaking water, the company said. But it was unclear if the leak was caused by tsunami water or something else. There were no reports of radioactive leaks at any of Japan's nuclear plants.

Jefferies International Limited, a global investment banking group, said it estimated overall losses to be about $10 billion.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the 2:46 p.m. quake was a magnitude 8.9, the biggest earthquake to hit Japan since officials began keeping records in the late 1800s, and one of the biggest ever recorded in the world.

The quake struck at a depth of six miles (10 kilometers), about 80 miles (125 kilometers) off the eastern coast, the agency said. The area is 240 miles (380 kilometers) northeast of Tokyo.

Thousands of people fled their homes in Indonesia after officials warned of a tsunami up to 6 feet (2 meters) high. But waves of only 4 inches (10 centimeters) were measured. No big waves came to the Northern Mariana Islands, a U.S. territory, either.

The first waves hit Hawaii about 1400 GMT (9 a.m. EST) Friday. A tsunami at least 3 feet (a meter) high were recorded on Oahu and Kauai, and officials warned that the waves would continue and could become larger.

In downtown Tokyo, large buildings shook violently and workers poured into the street for safety. TV footage showed a large building on fire and bellowing smoke in the Odaiba district of Tokyo. The tremor bent the upper tip of the iconic Tokyo Tower, a 1,093-foot (333-meter) steel structure inspired by the Eiffel Tower in Paris.

Osamu Akiya, 46, was working in Tokyo at his office in a trading company when the quake hit.

It sent bookshelves and computers crashing to the floor, and cracks appeared in the walls.

"I've been through many earthquakes, but I've never felt anything like this," he said. "I don't know if we'll be able to get home tonight."

Several quakes had hit the same region in recent days, including a 7.3 magnitude one on Wednesday that caused no damage.

Hiroshi Sato, a disaster management official in northern Iwate prefecture, said officials were having trouble getting an overall picture of the destruction.

"We don't even know the extent of damage. Roads were badly damaged and cut off as tsunami washed away debris, cars and many other things," he said.

Dozens of fires were reported in northern prefectures of Fukushima, Sendai, Iwate and Ibaraki. Collapsed homes and landslides were also reported in Miyagi.

Japan's worst previous quake was in 1923 in Kanto, an 8.3-magnitude temblor that killed 143,000 people, according to USGS. A 7.2-magnitude quake in Kobe city in 1996 killed 6,400 people.

Japan lies on the "Ring of Fire" — an arc of earthquake and volcanic zones stretching around the Pacific where about 90 percent of the world's quakes occur, including the one that triggered the Dec. 26, 2004, Indian Ocean tsunami that killed an estimated 230,000 people in 12 nations. A magnitude-8.8 temblor that shook central Chile last February also generated a tsunami and killed 524 people.

___

Associated Press writers Jay Alabaster, Mari Yamaguchi, Tomoko A. Hosaka and Yuri Kageyama contributed to this report.