A shallow M4.9 aftershock struck in the Sea of Japan 98 kilometer from Takaoka, Japan in the evening of Wednesday May 10th, 2023.
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Earthquake Summary
This earthquake hit under water in the Sea of Japan, right off the coast of Japan (6 mi offshore), 98 kilometer north-northeast of Takaoka in 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 10, 2023 21:54 (Tokyo Time) - May 10, 2023 12:54 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 98 km NNE of Takaoka, Toyama, Japan. Coordinates 37°36'23"N 137°15'15"E. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 4.9 Detected by 21 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.068 . |
| Depth: | 10 km (6 mi) A very shallow depth. |
| Tsunami Risk: | Low tsunami risk Earthquakes under MAG-6.5 do not usually cause tsunami's. Always stay cautious - More info here. |
Nearby towns and cities
This earthquake may have been felt in Japan . Located 52 kilometer (32 mi) north-east of the epicenter of this earthquake, Anamizu (Ishikawa, Japan) is the nearest significant population center.
Multiple large cities are in proximity of today's earthquake. Nagoya is located 271 km to the south. Niigata is located 157 km to the east-northeast. Saitama is located 285 km to the south-east.
The table below provides an overview of all places in proximity of today's earthquake.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 52 km (32 mi) SW from epicenter |
Anamizu Ishikawa, Japan. |
| 67 km (42 mi) SSW from epicenter |
Nanao Ishikawa, Japan. |
| 78 km (48 mi) SSE from epicenter |
Nyūzen Toyama, Japan. |
| 80 km (50 mi) SSE from epicenter |
Kurobe-shi Toyama, Japan. |
| 83 km (52 mi) SE from epicenter |
Itoigawa Niigata, Japan. |
| 87 km (54 mi) SSW from epicenter |
Himimachi Toyama, Japan. |
| 91 km (57 mi) SSW from epicenter |
Hakui Ishikawa, Japan. |
| 91 km (57 mi) S from epicenter |
Uozu Toyama, Japan. |
| 93 km (58 mi) S from epicenter |
Nishishinminato Toyama, Japan. |
| 95 km (59 mi) S from epicenter |
Namerikawa Toyama, Japan. |
| 98 km (61 mi) SSW from epicenter |
Takaoka Toyama, Japan. |
| 101 km (63 mi) ESE from epicenter |
Jōetsu Niigata, Japan. |
| 101 km (63 mi) S from epicenter |
Toyama Toyama, Japan. |
| 101 km (63 mi) S from epicenter |
Kamiichi Toyama, Japan. |
| 109 km (68 mi) SE from epicenter |
Arai Niigata, Japan. |
| 114 km (71 mi) SSW from epicenter |
Tsubata Ishikawa, Japan. |
| 117 km (73 mi) ESE from epicenter |
Kashiwazaki Niigata, Japan. |
| 119 km (74 mi) SSW from epicenter |
Nanto-shi Toyama, Japan. |
| 125 km (78 mi) SSW from epicenter |
Kanazawa Ishikawa, Japan. |
| 132 km (82 mi) SSW from epicenter |
Nonoichi Ishikawa, Japan. |
| 135 km (84 mi) SE from epicenter |
Nagano Nagano, Japan. |
| 136 km (85 mi) SSW from epicenter |
Matsutō Ishikawa, Japan. |
| 137 km (85 mi) SE from epicenter |
Nakano Nagano, Japan. |
| 141 km (88 mi) ESE from epicenter |
Ojiya Niigata, Japan. |
| 142 km (88 mi) SE from epicenter |
Suzaka Nagano, Japan. |
| 142 km (88 mi) E from epicenter |
Nagaoka Niigata, Japan. |
| 144 km (89 mi) ESE from epicenter |
Tōkamachi Niigata, Japan. |
| 147 km (91 mi) E from epicenter |
Tsubame Niigata, Japan. |
| 148 km (92 mi) E from epicenter |
Mitsuke Niigata, Japan. |
| 149 km (93 mi) E from epicenter |
Sanjō Niigata, Japan. |
| 152 km (94 mi) SSW from epicenter |
Komatsu Ishikawa, Japan. |
| 157 km (98 mi) ENE from epicenter |
Niigata Niigata, Japan. |
| 162 km (101 mi) SE from epicenter |
Ueda Nagano, Japan. |
| 164 km (102 mi) S from epicenter |
Takayama Gifu, Japan. |
| 165 km (103 mi) SSE from epicenter |
Matsumoto Nagano, Japan. |
| 166 km (103 mi) E from epicenter |
Niitsu-honchō Niigata, Japan. |
| 179 km (111 mi) SSE from epicenter |
Shiojiri Nagano, Japan. |
| 187 km (116 mi) ENE from epicenter |
Shibata Niigata, Japan. |
| 189 km (117 mi) SE from epicenter |
Saku Nagano, Japan. |
| 194 km (121 mi) SSW from epicenter |
Fukui-shi Fukui, Japan. |
| 211 km (131 mi) SE from epicenter |
Maebashi Gunma, Japan. |
| 211 km (131 mi) SE from epicenter |
Takasaki Gunma, Japan. |
| 245 km (152 mi) SSE from epicenter |
Kōfu Yamanashi, Japan. |
| 247 km (153 mi) S from epicenter |
Gifu-shi Gifu, Japan. |
| 260 km (162 mi) ESE from epicenter |
Utsunomiya Tochigi, Japan. |
| 271 km (168 mi) S from epicenter |
Nagoya Aichi, Japan. |
| 274 km (170 mi) SE from epicenter |
Kawagoe Saitama, Japan. |
| 277 km (172 mi) E from epicenter |
Kōriyama Fukushima, Japan. |
| 277 km (172 mi) SSW from epicenter |
Hikone Shiga, Japan. |
| 281 km (175 mi) S from epicenter |
Toyota Aichi, Japan. |
| 282 km (175 mi) ENE from epicenter |
Yamagata Yamagata, Japan. |
| 285 km (177 mi) SE from epicenter |
Hachiōji Tokyo, Japan. |
| 285 km (177 mi) SE from epicenter |
Saitama Saitama, Japan. |
| 295 km (183 mi) SW from epicenter |
Maizuru Kyoto, Japan. |
| 297 km (185 mi) SE from epicenter |
Kawaguchi Saitama, Japan. |
| 297 km (185 mi) ESE from epicenter |
Tsukuba Ibaraki, Japan. |
| 297 km (185 mi) SE from epicenter |
Noda Chiba, Japan. |
| 299 km (186 mi) S from epicenter |
Yokkaichi Mie, Japan. |
| 299 km (186 mi) E from epicenter |
Shiroishi Miyagi, Japan. |
| 300 km (186 mi) SSE from epicenter |
Fuji Shizuoka, Japan. |
Shaking reported by 1 person
People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 1 person has reported shaking in one place in 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:
- Tokyo, Tokio, Japan: 1 person.
This is likely an aftershock
Approximately 2 days before this earthquake hit, a larger 4.9 magnitude earthquake struck 12 km (7 mi) south-southeast of this one. For that reason, we classify the Mag. 4.9 earthquake as an aftershock.
Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks
| Classification | Magnitude | When | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foreshock | M 4.1 |
2 days earlier May 6, 2023 23:54 (Tokyo Time) | 10 km (6 mi) N from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 3.5 |
2 days earlier May 7, 2023 11:44 (Tokyo Time) | 10 km (6 mi) N from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 3.5 |
17 hrs earlier May 8, 2023 11:45 (Tokyo Time) | 1.3 km (0.8 mi) SSW from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 3.8 |
14 hrs earlier May 8, 2023 14:56 (Tokyo Time) | 1.3 km (0.8 mi) SSW from Main Shock. |
| Main Shock | M 4.9 |
May 9, 2023 05:14 (Tokyo Time) | - |
| Aftershock | M 4.3 |
2 mins later May 9, 2023 05:16 (Tokyo Time) | 23 km (14 mi) ENE from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 4.4 |
6 hrs later May 9, 2023 11:05 (Tokyo Time) | 7 km (5 mi) E from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 4.8 |
1 day later May 10, 2023 07:14 (Tokyo Time) | 9 km (5 mi) WNW from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock This Earthquake |
M 4.9 |
2 days later May 10, 2023 21:54 (Tokyo Time) | 12 km (7 mi) NNW from Main Shock. |
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.
In only six percent of cases, significant earthquakes are followed by a larger main shock, making the current earthquake a foreshock. While the chance of this happening is not so large, it is adviced to maintain cautiousness in the hours and days following a major earthquake.
Read: How to Stay Safe during an Earthquake (cdc.gov).Earthquakes like this happen often in the region
Earthquakes of this strength are very common in the region. In total, 42 earthquakes with a magnitude of 4.9 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 3 months.
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
| Factor | Under Sea? | MAG-6.5 or stronger? | Shallow depth? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Explanation | Almost all tsunami's are caused by earthquakes with their epicenter under sea or very near the sea. However stay cautious in coastal areas as earthquakes on land may cause landslides into sea, potentially still causing a local tsunami. | Under MAG 6.5: Very unlikely to cause a tsunami. MAG 6.5 to 7.5: Destructive tsunami's do occur, but are uncommon. Likely to observe small sea level changes. MAG 7.6+: Earthquakes with these magnitudes might produce destructive tsunami's. |
Most destructive tsunami's are caused by shallow earthquakes with a depth between 0 and 100km under the surface of the earth. Deeper tsunami's are unlikely to displace to ocean floor. |
| This Earthquake | This earthquake appears to have struck under the sea. | Not this earthquake. This earthquake had a magnitude of 4.9. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami. |
This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 10 km (6 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami. |
Sources
Last updated 09/07/23 07:17 (). As more information on this earthquake becomes available this article will be updated. This article is automatically composed based on data originating from multiple sources.
- US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us6000kau6
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20230510_0000115
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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