Even now, as I write these words, the hotel is swaying from yet another aftershock.
The United States Geological Survey said Tuesday's initial 6.3-magnitude quake was followed by various aftershocks, and itself was part of an aftershock sequence from last September's quake.
2Elementary school children crouched under their desks at their school in Onagawa, Miyagi prefecture, on April 12, 2011, as a powerful aftershock hit northern Japan.
Every aftershock terrifies .
It is rare, though not unheard of, to have an earthquake followed by a larger aftershock.
Japan was rattled by a strong aftershock and tsunami warning Thursday night nearly a month after a devastating earthquake and tsunami flattened the northeastern coast.
The USGS characterized the 6.3-magnitude quake on February 22 as an aftershock of the quake that struck to the west, in Darfield, New Zealand, on September 3, 2010.
An aftershock of the same magnitude struck the region Sunday.
On Monday morning, an aftershock with a magnitude of 6.5 off the coast of northeast Honshu triggered a tsunami alert, which was later canceled.
The largest so far was a 6.9 magnitude aftershock.
Even people whose homes remained whole chose to sleep outside, lest they be caught in another aftershock.
Applegate said, the magnitude 8.9 quake was an aftershock.
"No death has been reported so far, but many ramshackle houses in the town seat collapsed in the aftershock," said Zhu Lin, an official in Bikou town of Wenxian County.
Meanwhile, a strongly felt aftershock shook Haiti's capital of Port-au-Prince early Sunday, bringing the total number of aftershocks above 5.0 magnitude to 14, according to Xinhua.
What is an aftershock?
The Sichuan Seismological Bureau warned residents that a strong aftershock was likely to happen in the province, Xinhua reported.
A powerful aftershock occurred at 01:15 local time Tuesday (2315 GMT Monday).
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