On Sunday Afternoon a Shallow M5.8 Earthquake struck in the Philippine Sea 237km from Yokohama (Japan).

Written by Earthquakelist.org on May 14th, 2023. Last updated July 13th, 2023.

In the Philippine Sea 237 kilometer from Yokohama, Japan, a shallow and significant MAG-5.8 earthquake occurred in the late afternoon of Sunday May 14th, 2023. Around 3.9 million people have been exposed to shaking.

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Earthquake Summary

This earthquake hit under water in the Philippine Sea, 153 kilometers (95 mi) off the coast of Japan, 237 kilometer south of Yokohama in Kanagawa. The center of this earthquake had a very shallow depth of 13 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.

Date and Time:	May 14, 2023 17:21 (Tokyo Time) - May 14, 2023 08:21 Universal Time.
Location:	237 km south of Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan. Coordinates 33°18'48"N 139°21'59"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.8 Detected by 45 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.046 .
Depth:	13 km (8 mi) A very shallow depth.
Max. Intensity:	V Moderate 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.

Minimal impact predicted

Based on scientific estimates by the US Geographic Survey (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 GREEN (low). They expect an 65% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 million US Dollars in economic damage and impact, and a 96% chance that the economic impact of this earthquake falls no higher than 10 million USD.

Roughly 3.9 million people exposed to shaking

This earthquake may have been felt by around 3.9 million people. That is the expected population size of the area exposed to a level of shaking of II or higher on the Modified Mercalli scale according to the USGS.

The highest earthquake impact level for this earthquake is IV, which corresponds with light shaking and likely no damage. Roughly 13,330 people are expected to be exposed to this level. Intensity level III was experienced by the majority of people (around 3.8 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 . Located 157 kilometer (98 mi) south-southeast of the epicenter of this earthquake, Shimoda (Shizuoka, Japan) is the nearest significant population center. Shimoda experienced an earthquake intensity (MMI Scale) of roughly III. That level implies weak shaking and probably no damage.

Multiple major population centers exist within 300km of the earthquake that struck today. Tokyo is located 266 km to the north (intensity unknown, possibly low). Yokohama is located 237 km to the north (intensity unknown, possibly low). Nagoya is located 307 km to the northwest (intensity unknown, possibly low).

An overview of nearby towns and cities is available in the overview below. If places don't have intensity data available, it likely means the experienced impact in those places was fairly small.

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 IV.

I Not felt

II Weak

III Weak

IV Light

V Moderate

VI Strong

VII Very Strong

VIII Severe

IX Violent

X Extreme

19 Aftershocks detected

Since this main shock, 19 smaller aftershocks were detected. A 5.6 magnitude earthquake hit 2 hrs later 15 km (9 mi) north-northwest of this earthquake.

This main shock was prefaced by 3 smaller foreshocks. Nearby this earthquake a foreshock struck 10 mins earlier. It measured a magnitude of 5.4

Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks

More earthquakes coming?

Aftershocks are usually at least 1 order of magnitude less strong than main shocks. The more time passes, the smaller the chance and likely strength of any potential aftershocks.

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.

Earthquakes like this happen often in the region

Earthquakes of this strength are very common in the region. This is the strongest earthquake to hit since February 5th, 2023, when a 5.8 magnitude earthquake hit 226 km (141 mi) further east-southeast. An even stronger magnitude 6.3 earthquake struck on July 27th, 2019.

In total, 15 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.8 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 8 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

Sources

Last updated 13/07/23 02:37 (). 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.

1. US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us6000kbtf
2. European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20230514_0000066
3. Geonames.org: World Cities Database
4. Google Maps: Static API
5. Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database

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