Shallow M5.9 Earthquake struck on Tuesday Morning 83mi from Japan.

Written by Earthquakelist.org on April 15th, 2024. Last updated May 1st, 2024.

A shallow and significant M5.9 earthquake struck 83 miles from Japan in the morning of Tuesday April 16th, 2024. Roughly 110 thousand people may have felt this earthquake.

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Earthquake Summary

This earthquake struck 83 miles (133 km) from Japan The center of this earthquake had a very shallow depth of 8 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.

Date and Time:	Apr 16, 2024 07:38 (Tokyo Time) - Apr 15, 2024 22:38 Universal Time.
Location:	259 km SSE of Kagoshima, Japan. Coordinates 29°28'15"N 131°44'8"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.9 Detected by 48 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.045 .
Depth:	8 km (5 mi) A very shallow depth.
Max. Intensity:	IV Light 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 110 thousand people exposed to shaking

This earthquake may have been felt by around 110 thousand 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.

Light shaking and likely no damage may have been experienced by an estimated 590 people. At IV, it is the highest MMI level this earthquake has caused. Intensity level III was experienced by the majority of people (around 100 thousand). 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 Nishinoomote in Kagoshima, Japan. Nishinoomote is located 157 kilometer (98 mi) south-southeast of the epicenter. The intensity of shaking and damage in Nishinoomote is estimated to be around level III on the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale (weak shaking, probably no damage).

Multiple major population centers exist within 300km of the earthquake that struck today. Kagoshima is located 259 km to the north-northwest (intensity unknown, possibly low). Kumamoto is located 384 km to the north-northwest (intensity unknown, possibly low). Miyazaki is located 274 km to the north (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 maximum intensity (MMI Scale) caused by this earthquake is IV. The map below shows in which areas this earthquake was the most and least impactful. It is based on data from the US Geographic Survey.

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 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:

• Kagoshima, Kagoshima, Japan: 1 person.

Risk of aftershocks?

We monitor for foreshocks or aftershocks that have a magnitude of 2.5+ and occur within 100km (62 mi) of the epicenter of this earthquake. So far no such earthquakes have been detected.

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.

Earthquakes like this are common in the region

Earthquakes of this strength occur quite regularly in the region. This is the strongest earthquake to hit since December 9th, 2021, when a 6 magnitude earthquake hit 228 km (142 mi) further west. An even stronger magnitude 6.3 earthquake struck on January 8th, 2019.

In total, 4 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.9 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 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 01/05/24 23:48 (). 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 us7000mcb1
2. European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20240415_0000193
3. Geonames.org: World Cities Database
4. Google Maps: Static API
5. Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database

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