Significant M5.7 Earthquake hit in the Philippine Sea 198km from Kagoshima (Japan) on Saturday Morning.

Written by Earthquakelist.org on September 13th, 2024. Last updated November 12th, 2024.

In the Philippine Sea 198 kilometer from Kagoshima, Japan, a significant MAG-5.7 earthquake occurred in the morning of Saturday September 14th, 2024. Around 0.9 million people have been exposed to shaking.

Earthquake Summary

This earthquake hit under water in the Philippine Sea, 60 kilometers (37 mi) off the coast of Japan, 198 kilometer south of Kagoshima. The center of this earthquake had a quite shallow depth of 30 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.

Date and Time:	Sep 14, 2024 08:03 (Tokyo Time) - Sep 13, 2024 23:03 Universal Time.
Location:	198 km south of Kagoshima, Japan. Coordinates 29°48'38"N 130°55'15"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.7 Detected by 22 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.066 .
Depth:	30 km (19 mi) A quite 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 0.9 million people exposed to shaking

An estimated 0.9 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.

The highest earthquake impact level for this earthquake is IV, which corresponds with light shaking and likely no damage. Roughly 26,800 people are expected to be exposed to this level. Intensity level III was experienced by the majority of people (around 0.9 million). In their region, weak shaking and probably no damage can be expected. All exposure to shaking was within the borders of Japan .

People	MMI Level	Shaking	Damage
0	I	Not noticable	None
18,420	II	Very weak	None
898,700	III	Weak	Probably none
26,800	IV	Light	Likely none
0	V	Moderate	Very light
0	VI	Strong	Light
0	VII	Very Strong	Moderate
0	VIII	Severe	Moderate to heavy
0	IX	Violent	Heavy
0	X	Extreme	Very heavy

Nearby towns and cities

This earthquake may have been felt in Japan . Located 103 kilometer (64 mi) south of the epicenter of this earthquake, Nishinoomote (Kagoshima, Japan) is the nearest significant population center. 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 large cities are in proximity of today's earthquake. Kagoshima is located 198 km to the north and experienced an intensity of III (weak shaking, probably no damage). Miyazaki is located 239 km to the north (intensity unknown, possibly low). Miyakonojō is located 214 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

Cities and Towns around the epicenter of this earthquake.
Distance	Place	Intensity (MMI)
103 km (64 mi) N from epicenter	Nishinoomote Kagoshima, Japan.	III Weak
160 km (99 mi) N from epicenter	Ibusuki Kagoshima, Japan.	III Weak
172 km (107 mi) NNW from epicenter	Makurazaki Kagoshima, Japan.	III Weak
175 km (109 mi) N from epicenter	Kanoya Kagoshima, Japan.	III Weak
186 km (116 mi) N from epicenter	Shibushi Kagoshima, Japan.	III Weak
187 km (116 mi) N from epicenter	Tarumizu Kagoshima, Japan.	III Weak
188 km (117 mi) NNW from epicenter	Kaseda-shirakame Kagoshima, Japan.	III Weak
189 km (117 mi) N from epicenter	Kushima Miyazaki, Japan.	III Weak
198 km (123 mi) N from epicenter	Kagoshima Kagoshima, Japan.	III Weak
203 km (126 mi) NNE from epicenter	Nichinan Miyazaki, Japan.	III Weak
205 km (127 mi) N from epicenter	Sueyoshichō-ninokata Kagoshima, Japan.
207 km (129 mi) NNW from epicenter	Ijūin Kagoshima, Japan.
213 km (132 mi) SW from epicenter	Naze Kagoshima, Japan.	III Weak
213 km (132 mi) N from epicenter	Hamanoichi Kagoshima, Japan.
214 km (133 mi) N from epicenter	Kokubu-matsuki Kagoshima, Japan.
214 km (133 mi) N from epicenter	Miyakonojō Miyazaki, Japan.
215 km (134 mi) N from epicenter	Kajiki Kagoshima, Japan.
221 km (137 mi) NNW from epicenter	Kushikino Kagoshima, Japan.
231 km (144 mi) NNW from epicenter	Satsumasendai Kagoshima, Japan.
239 km (149 mi) N from epicenter	Miyazaki Miyazaki, Japan.
242 km (150 mi) N from epicenter	Kobayashi Miyazaki, Japan.
253 km (157 mi) N from epicenter	Ōkuchi-shinohara Kagoshima, Japan.
255 km (158 mi) NNW from epicenter	Akune Kagoshima, Japan.
258 km (160 mi) NNW from epicenter	Izumi Kagoshima, Japan.
259 km (161 mi) N from epicenter	Tsuma Miyazaki, Japan.
264 km (164 mi) NNE from epicenter	Takanabe Miyazaki, Japan.
268 km (167 mi) N from epicenter	Hitoyoshi Kumamoto, Japan.
270 km (168 mi) NNE from epicenter	Kawaminami Miyazaki, Japan.
272 km (169 mi) N from epicenter	Minamata Kumamoto, Japan.
279 km (173 mi) NNW from epicenter	Ushibukamachi Kumamoto, Japan.

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

Earthquake Intensity Map based on Shakemap Data provided by USGS.

Shaking reported by 5 people

People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 5 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: 2 people.
Kanoya, Kagoshima, Japan: 1 person.
Naze, Kagoshima, Japan: 1 person.
Hamamatsu, Shizuoka, 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.

The chance that a significant earthquake like this one is followed by an even larger earthquake is not so large. On average, scientists estimate a 94% chance that a major earthquake will not be followed by an even larger one. It is still adviced to be aware of this risk

Read: How to Stay Safe during an Earthquake (cdc.gov).

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 August 8th, 2024, when a 7.1 magnitude earthquake hit 224 km (139 mi) further north-northeast. That was also the heaviest earthquake to hit the region in the past 10 years.

In total, 11 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.7 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 year.

Low tsunami risk

DISCLAIMER: We strongly suggest to closely monitor advice from local authorities with regards to tsunami risks. Our analysis is based on automatically collected data from external sources, and these might contain mistakes. In addition, earthquakes can cause landslides that may lead to a tsunami, or be a followed by another, potentially stonger, earthquake.

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 5.7. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami.	This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 30 km (19 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami.

Sources

Last updated 12/11/24 07:18 (). 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.