A significant Magnitude 5.1 earthquake struck under land 7 kilometer from Nichinan in Japan in the morning of Monday April 8th, 2024.
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Earthquake Summary
The earthquake struck on land in Japan, 7 kilometer (4 mi) north-northeast of Nichinan in Miyazaki. The center of this earthquake had a quite shallow depth of 53 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.
| Date and Time: | Apr 8, 2024 10:25 (Tokyo Time) - Apr 8, 2024 01:25 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 7 km NNE of Nichinan, Miyazaki, Japan. Coordinates 31°39'30"N 131°23'23"E. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.1 Detected by 22 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.066 . |
| Depth: | 53 km (33 mi) A quite shallow depth. |
| Tsunami Risk: | Tsunami very unlikely While this was a shallow earthquake in a coastal area, it appears to have occurred under land (6 km from the sea) with a magnitude that is usually not strong enough to cause tsunami's. Always stay cautious - More info here. |
Nearby towns and cities
This earthquake may have been felt in Japan . The closest significant population center near the earthquake is Nichinan in Miyazaki, Japan. Nichinan is located 7 kilometer (4 mi) north-northeast of the epicenter.
Multiple major population centers exist within 300km of the earthquake that struck today. Miyazaki is located 29 km to the north. Kagoshima is located 80 km to the west. Fukuoka is located 234 km to the north-northwest.
The table below provides an overview of all places in proximity of today's earthquake.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 7 km (4 mi) SSW from epicenter |
Nichinan Miyazaki, Japan. |
| 24 km (15 mi) SW from epicenter |
Kushima Miyazaki, Japan. |
| 29 km (18 mi) N from epicenter |
Miyazaki Miyazaki, Japan. |
| 32 km (20 mi) WNW from epicenter |
Miyakonojō Miyazaki, Japan. |
| 34 km (21 mi) SW from epicenter |
Shibushi Kagoshima, Japan. |
| 35 km (22 mi) W from epicenter |
Sueyoshichō-ninokata Kagoshima, Japan. |
| 49 km (30 mi) N from epicenter |
Tsuma Miyazaki, Japan. |
| 53 km (33 mi) NW from epicenter |
Kobayashi Miyazaki, Japan. |
| 54 km (34 mi) N from epicenter |
Takanabe Miyazaki, Japan. |
| 60 km (37 mi) W from epicenter |
Kokubu-matsuki Kagoshima, Japan. |
| 60 km (37 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Kanoya Kagoshima, Japan. |
| 60 km (37 mi) N from epicenter |
Kawaminami Miyazaki, Japan. |
| 62 km (39 mi) W from epicenter |
Hamanoichi Kagoshima, Japan. |
| 68 km (42 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Tarumizu Kagoshima, Japan. |
| 69 km (43 mi) W from epicenter |
Kajiki Kagoshima, Japan. |
| 80 km (50 mi) W from epicenter |
Kagoshima Kagoshima, Japan. |
| 85 km (53 mi) WNW from epicenter |
Ōkuchi-shinohara Kagoshima, Japan. |
| 85 km (53 mi) SW from epicenter |
Ibusuki Kagoshima, Japan. |
| 87 km (54 mi) NW from epicenter |
Hitoyoshi Kumamoto, Japan. |
| 94 km (58 mi) NNE from epicenter |
Kadogawa Miyazaki, Japan. |
| 94 km (58 mi) W from epicenter |
Ijūin Kagoshima, Japan. |
| 105 km (65 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Kaseda-shirakame Kagoshima, Japan. |
| 105 km (65 mi) W from epicenter |
Satsumasendai Kagoshima, Japan. |
| 106 km (66 mi) W from epicenter |
Kushikino Kagoshima, Japan. |
| 106 km (66 mi) NNE from epicenter |
Nobeoka Miyazaki, Japan. |
| 108 km (67 mi) WNW from epicenter |
Izumi Kagoshima, Japan. |
| 111 km (69 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Makurazaki Kagoshima, Japan. |
| 112 km (70 mi) WNW from epicenter |
Minamata Kumamoto, Japan. |
| 119 km (74 mi) WNW from epicenter |
Akune Kagoshima, Japan. |
| 120 km (75 mi) NW from epicenter |
Honmachi Kumamoto, Japan. |
| 133 km (83 mi) NNW from epicenter |
Uto Kumamoto, Japan. |
| 144 km (89 mi) NNW from epicenter |
Kumamoto Kumamoto, Japan. |
| 146 km (91 mi) NW from epicenter |
Hondomachi-hondo Kumamoto, Japan. |
| 151 km (94 mi) NNE from epicenter |
Saiki Ōita, Japan. |
| 163 km (101 mi) NNW from epicenter |
Tamana Kumamoto, Japan. |
| 176 km (109 mi) N from epicenter |
Ōita Ōita, Japan. |
| 177 km (110 mi) NNW from epicenter |
Ōmuta Fukuoka, Japan. |
| 179 km (111 mi) N from epicenter |
Tsurusaki Ōita, Japan. |
| 181 km (112 mi) N from epicenter |
Beppu Ōita, Japan. |
| 183 km (114 mi) NW from epicenter |
Isahaya Nagasaki, Japan. |
| 187 km (116 mi) NW from epicenter |
Nagasaki Nagasaki, Japan. |
| 190 km (118 mi) NNW from epicenter |
Hita Ōita, Japan. |
| 195 km (121 mi) NW from epicenter |
Ōmura Nagasaki, Japan. |
| 202 km (126 mi) NNW from epicenter |
Kurume Fukuoka, Japan. |
| 203 km (126 mi) NNW from epicenter |
Saga Saga, Japan. |
| 229 km (142 mi) NW from epicenter |
Sasebo Nagasaki, Japan. |
| 234 km (145 mi) NNW from epicenter |
Fukuoka Fukuoka, Japan. |
| 249 km (155 mi) NNW from epicenter |
Kitakyushu Fukuoka, Japan. |
| 258 km (160 mi) N from epicenter |
Shimonoseki Yamaguchi, Japan. |
| 275 km (171 mi) NNE from epicenter |
Matsuyama Ehime, Japan. |
| 291 km (181 mi) NE from epicenter |
Kochi Kōchi, Japan. |
| 294 km (183 mi) NNE from epicenter |
Ōtake Hirochima, Japan. |
Shaking reported by 4 people
People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 4 people have reported shaking in 4 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:
- Kagoshima, Kagoshima, Japan: 1 person.
- Miyazaki, Miyazaki, Japan: 1 person.
- Shizuoka, Shizuoka, Japan: 1 person.
- Higashimurayama, Tokio, Japan: 1 person.
Aftershocks detected
After this earthquake struck, 1 smaller aftershock occurred. Just 4 hrs after this main shock, an earthquake measuring MAG-4.6 was detected 68 km (42 mi) north-east of this earthquake.
Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks
| Classification | Magnitude | When | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Main Shock This Earthquake |
M 5.1 |
Apr 8, 2024 10:25 (Tokyo Time) | - |
| Aftershock | M 4.6 |
4 hrs later Apr 8, 2024 13:57 (Tokyo Time) | 68 km (42 mi) NE 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. This is the strongest earthquake to hit since November 10th, 2023, when a 5.3 magnitude earthquake hit 72 km (45 mi) further southwest. An even stronger magnitude 7 earthquake struck on April 15th, 2016.
In total, 49 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.1 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 2 months.
Tsunami very unlikely
While MAG-6.5+ earthquakes may cause tsunami's, it appears that the epicenter of this earthquake hit under land. In addition, the reported depth is deeper than 100km, making the risk of a tsunami even less likely. However always 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 on land near a coastal area (6 km from the sea). | Not this earthquake. This earthquake had a magnitude of 5.1. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami. |
This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 53 km (33 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami. |
Sources
Last updated 02/05/24 03:08 (). 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 us7000mapp
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20240408_0000011
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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