Unusually powerful M6.2 Earthquake hit in the Sea of Japan near Toyama (Japan) on Friday Afternoon.

Written by Earthquakelist.org on May 5th, 2023. Last updated July 3rd, 2023.

An unusually powerful MAG-6.2 earthquake struck in the Sea of Japan 95 kilometer from Toyama, Japan in the afternoon of Friday May 5th, 2023. Earthquakes like this can cause significant economic damage but are usually unlikely to result on large numbers of fatalities.

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Earthquake Summary

This earthquake hit under water in the Sea of Japan, right off the coast of Japan (2 mi offshore), 95 kilometer north of Toyama. The center of this earthquake had a very shallow depth of 10 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.

Date and Time:	May 5, 2023 14:42 (Tokyo Time) - May 5, 2023 05:42 Universal Time.
Location:	95 km north of Toyama, Japan. Coordinates 37°32'51"N 137°17'58"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 6.2 Detected by 26 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.061 .
Depth:	10 km (6 mi) A very shallow depth.
Max. Intensity:	IX Violent On the Modified Mercalli Scale.
Tsunami Risk:	Low tsunami risk Earthquakes under MAG-6.5 do not usually cause tsunami's. Always stay cautious - More info here.

Significant economic impact

The US Geographic Survey (USGS) describes the impact of this earthquake as follows:

One person killed, 18 buildings destroyed and 719 damaged at Suzu; 43 persons injured in Ishikawa and 1 in Toyama. Landslides and a 10 cm tsunami were reported in Ishikawa.

Based on scientific estimates by the USGS, the risk of high fatalities for this earthquake is classified at level GREEN (low). They expect an 65% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 fatalities, and a 96% chance that the number of fatalities falls no higher than 10.

The USGS classifies the economic impact of this earthquake at level YELLOW (significant). They expect an 39% likelyhood of between 10 and 100 million US Dollars in economic damage and impact, and a 93% chance that the economic impact of this earthquake falls no higher than 1,000 million USD.

Roughly 15 million people exposed to shaking

An estimated 15 million have been exposed to shaking (An MMI or Modified Mercalli Intensity level II or higher) as a result of this earthquake according scientific estimates published by the USGS.

Severe shaking and likely moderate to heavy damage may have been experienced by an estimated 11,010 people. At VIII, it is the highest MMI level this earthquake has caused. Intensity level III was experienced by the majority of people (around 10 million). In their region, weak shaking and probably no damage can be expected. All exposure to shaking was within the borders of Japan .

Nearby towns and cities

This earthquake may have been felt in Japan . The closest significant population center near the earthquake is Anamizu in Ishikawa, Japan. Anamizu is located 50 kilometer (31 mi) north-east of the epicenter. Anamizu experienced an earthquake intensity (MMI Scale) of roughly V. That level implies moderate shaking and very light damage.

Major cities near this earthquake: Tokyo is located 297 km to the south-east (intensity unknown, possibly low). Yokohama is located 315 km to the south-east (intensity unknown, possibly low). Nagoya is located 265 km to the south (intensity unknown, possibly low).

A complete list of nearby places is included below. Estimated intensity data (MMI) sourced from a shake-map published by the US Geographic Survey is shown where available (cities without data probably experienced little impact).

Overview of nearby places

Earthquake Intensity Map

The graph below overlays a map of the region around the epicenter with earthquake intensity data provided by the US Geographic Survey. The highest intensity level detected for this earthquake is VIII.

I Not felt

II Weak

III Weak

IV Light

V Moderate

VI Strong

VII Very Strong

VIII Severe

IX Violent

X Extreme

Shaking reported by 54 people

People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 54 people have reported shaking in 33 places, all within Japan.We keep updating this article as more ground reports become available. You may report that you felt this earthquake here.

Places with most reports:

• Suzu, Ishikawa, Japan: 6 people.
• Nagoya, Aichi, Japan: 6 people.
• Kyōto, Kyōto, Japan: 4 people.
• Kanazawa, Ishikawa, Japan: 3 people.
• Tokyo, Tokio, Japan: 3 people.
• Toyoshina, Nagano, Japan: 2 people.
• Takayama, Gifu, Japan: 2 people.
• Amagasaki, Hyōgo, Japan: 2 people.
• Nanao, Ishikawa, Japan: 2 people.
• Iwatsuki, Saitama, Japan: 1 person.

27 Aftershocks detected

This main shock was followed by 27 smaller aftershocks. A 5.6 magnitude earthquake hit 7 hrs later 7 km (4 mi) south-southwest of this earthquake.

This main shock was prefaced by 1 smaller foreshock. A 3.8 magnitude earthquake hit 16 hrs earlier nearby.

Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks

More earthquakes coming?

The risk of aftershocks decreases rapidly over time. Usually, aftershocks are at least one order of magnitude lower than a main shock.

It's always adviced to be cautious of the risk of a larger shock following any significant earthquake, however this risk is fairly small. There is a roughly 94 percent change that no larger main shock will follow in the days following this earthquake.

This is the strongest earthquake in 4 years

Earthquakes of this strength are not so common in the region, but it's not the first time. This is the strongest earthquake to hit since June 18th, 2019, when a 6.4 magnitude earthquake hit 226 km (140 mi) further east-northeast. That was also the heaviest earthquake to hit the region in the past 10 years.

In total, 1 earthquake with a magnitude of 6.2 or higher have been registered within 300km (186 mi) of this epicenter in the past 10 years. This comes down to an average of once every 10 years.

Low tsunami risk

Based on early data it appears this earthquake was not strong enough (lower than MAG-6.5) to be likely to cause destructive tsunami's. However this earthquake appeared to have hit at a shallow depth under sea, so stay cautious and monitor advice from local authorities.

Tsunami Risk Factors

Sources

Last updated 03/07/23 11:37 (). This article is automatically generated based on available data. We keep checking multiple sources for additional information. This article gets updated as new details on this earthquake become available.

1. US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us6000k9mb
2. European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20230505_0000048
3. Geonames.org: World Cities Database
4. Google Maps: Static API
5. Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database

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