On Sunday Evening an Unusually powerful M6.1 Earthquake struck in the Philippine Sea 291km from Kagoshima (Japan).

Written by Earthquakelist.org on November 17th, 2024.

In the evening of Sunday November 17th, 2024, an unusually powerful MAG-6.1 earthquake hit in the Philippine Sea 291 kilometer from Kagoshima, Japan. Roughly 90 thousand people may have felt this earthquake.

Earthquake Summary

This earthquake hit under water in the Philippine Sea, 155 kilometers (96 mi) off the coast of Japan, 291 kilometer south-southeast of Kagoshima. 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:	Nov 17, 2024 21:16 (Tokyo Time) - Nov 17, 2024 12:16 Universal Time.
Location:	291 km SSE of Kagoshima, Japan. Coordinates 29°3'0"N 131°23'44"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 6.1 Detected by 56 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.041 .
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 90 thousand people exposed to shaking

The USGS has published a report estimating the number of people exposed to this earthquake. Acoording to their analysis, roughly 90 thousand have been exposed to shaking at an MMI level of II or higher.

Light shaking and likely no damage may have been experienced by an estimated 5,410 people. At IV, it is the highest MMI level this earthquake has caused. The majority of people (roughly 90 thousand) live in an area exposed to level III, where weak shaking and probably no damage is expected. All exposure to shaking was within the borders of Japan .

People	MMI Level	Shaking	Damage
0	I	Not noticable	None
0	II	Very weak	None
88,060	III	Weak	Probably none
5,410	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 191 kilometer (119 mi) south-southeast of the epicenter of this earthquake, Nishinoomote (Kagoshima, Japan) is the nearest significant population center. Nishinoomote experienced an earthquake intensity (MMI Scale) of roughly III. That level implies weak shaking and probably no damage.

Multiple large cities are in proximity of today's earthquake. Kagoshima is located 291 km to the north-northwest (intensity unknown, possibly low). Miyazaki is located 319 km to the north (intensity unknown, possibly low). Miyakonojō is located 300 km to the north (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

Cities and Towns around the epicenter of this earthquake.
Distance	Place	Intensity (MMI)
191 km (119 mi) NNW from epicenter	Nishinoomote Kagoshima, Japan.	III Weak
201 km (125 mi) WSW from epicenter	Naze Kagoshima, Japan.	III Weak
253 km (157 mi) NNW from epicenter	Ibusuki Kagoshima, Japan.
265 km (165 mi) NNW from epicenter	Kanoya Kagoshima, Japan.
267 km (166 mi) NNW from epicenter	Makurazaki Kagoshima, Japan.
271 km (168 mi) N from epicenter	Kushima Miyazaki, Japan.
271 km (168 mi) N from epicenter	Shibushi Kagoshima, Japan.
279 km (173 mi) NNW from epicenter	Tarumizu Kagoshima, Japan.
283 km (176 mi) NNW from epicenter	Kaseda-shirakame Kagoshima, Japan.
284 km (176 mi) N from epicenter	Nichinan Miyazaki, Japan.
291 km (181 mi) NNW from epicenter	Kagoshima Kagoshima, Japan.
291 km (181 mi) N from epicenter	Sueyoshichō-ninokata Kagoshima, Japan.
300 km (186 mi) N from epicenter	Miyakonojō Miyazaki, Japan.
301 km (187 mi) NNW from epicenter	Ijūin Kagoshima, Japan.
303 km (188 mi) NNW from epicenter	Hamanoichi Kagoshima, Japan.
304 km (189 mi) NNW from epicenter	Kokubu-matsuki Kagoshima, Japan.
306 km (190 mi) NNW from epicenter	Kajiki Kagoshima, Japan.
316 km (196 mi) NNW from epicenter	Kushikino Kagoshima, Japan.
319 km (198 mi) N from epicenter	Miyazaki Miyazaki, Japan.
325 km (202 mi) NNW from epicenter	Satsumasendai Kagoshima, Japan.
329 km (204 mi) N from epicenter	Kobayashi Miyazaki, Japan.
339 km (211 mi) N from epicenter	Tsuma Miyazaki, Japan.
343 km (213 mi) N from epicenter	Takanabe Miyazaki, Japan.
344 km (214 mi) NNW from epicenter	Ōkuchi-shinohara Kagoshima, Japan.
349 km (217 mi) N from epicenter	Kawaminami Miyazaki, Japan.
349 km (217 mi) NNW from epicenter	Akune Kagoshima, Japan.
351 km (218 mi) NNW from epicenter	Izumi Kagoshima, Japan.
357 km (222 mi) N from epicenter	Hitoyoshi Kumamoto, Japan.
365 km (227 mi) NNW from epicenter	Minamata Kumamoto, Japan.
374 km (232 mi) NNW from epicenter	Ushibukamachi Kumamoto, Japan.
381 km (237 mi) N from epicenter	Kadogawa Miyazaki, Japan.
392 km (244 mi) NNW from epicenter	Honmachi Kumamoto, Japan.
394 km (245 mi) N from epicenter	Nobeoka Miyazaki, Japan.
397 km (247 mi) NNW from epicenter	Hondomachi-hondo 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 2 people

People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 2 people have reported shaking in 2 places 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:

Miyazaki, Miyazaki, Japan: 1 person.
Saku, Nagano, Japan: 1 person.

Risk of aftershocks?

This earthquake did not have any significant foreshocks nor aftershocks occurring within 100km (62 mi) of its epicenter.

Earthquakes can create aftershocks. These are generally at least 1 magnitude lower than any main shock, and as time passes the chance and strength of aftershocks decreases.

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).

This is the strongest earthquake in 6 years

Earthquakes of this strength are not so common in the region, but it's not the first time. This is the strongest earthquake to hit since January 8th, 2019, when a 6.3 magnitude earthquake hit 174 km (108 mi) further north-northwest. That was also the heaviest earthquake to hit the region in the past 10 years.

In total, 1 earthquake with a magnitude of 6.1 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 10 years.

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 6.1. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami.	This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 8 km (5 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami.

Sources

Last updated 17/11/24 14:28 (). 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.