Japan has halted auto production and evacuated citizens who live by a nuclear power plant near where a 9.0* magnitude earthquake, the biggest ever in recorded history for the country, hit near the east coast of Hoshu this afternoon. Tsunami waves have been washing ashore throughout the Pacific; reports from Hawaii suggest no huge danger there and people in California are already lining up to surf.

I refuse to link this quake with the Extreme Super Moon. Maybe a couple more and I'll reconsider. But let's hope not, as this quake looks pretty fierce. Here are some of the videos that have been pouring out of Japan.

A tsunami with a 23-foot-high crest overtakes Sendai Harbor, carrying away cars and an entire building. There are initial reports of 300 dead in this area.

An above shot as a mammoth ocean of water and debris overtakes the land:

A large whirlpool develops as the massive waves recede:

Buildings sway as the ground shakes (don't worry; that's what they're built to do):

* The USGS has revised the earlier 8.9 magnitude estimate in light of the quake's power.