A significant Magnitude 5.1 earthquake struck in the North Pacific Ocean 91 kilometer from Hachinohe, Japan in the morning of Sunday November 24th, 2024.
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Earthquake Summary
This earthquake hit under water in the North Pacific Ocean, 65 kilometers (40 mi) off the coast of Japan, 91 kilometer east-southeast of Hachinohe in Aomori. The center of this earthquake had a quite shallow depth of 46 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.
| Date and Time: | Nov 24, 2024 08:22 (Tokyo Time) - Nov 23, 2024 23:22 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 91 km ESE of Hachinohe, Aomori, Japan. Coordinates 40°11'38"N 142°29'38"E. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.1 Detected by 238 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.037 . |
| Depth: | 46 km (28 mi) A quite shallow depth. |
| Tsunami Risk: | Low tsunami risk Earthquakes under MAG-6.5 do not usually cause tsunami's. Always stay cautious - More info here. |
Nearby towns and cities
This earthquake may have been felt in Japan . Located 77 kilometer (48 mi) north-east of the epicenter of this earthquake, Miyako (Iwate, Japan) is the nearest significant population center.
Multiple major population centers exist within 300km of the earthquake that struck today. Sendai is located 256 km to the south-southwest. Hachinohe is located 91 km to the west-northwest. Morioka is located 127 km to the west-southwest.
An overview of nearby towns and cities is available in the overview below.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 77 km (48 mi) SW from epicenter |
Miyako Iwate, Japan. |
| 91 km (57 mi) WNW from epicenter |
Hachinohe Aomori, Japan. |
| 93 km (58 mi) SSW from epicenter |
Yamada Iwate, Japan. |
| 108 km (67 mi) WNW from epicenter |
Misawa Aomori, Japan. |
| 115 km (71 mi) SSW from epicenter |
Kamaishi Iwate, Japan. |
| 127 km (79 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Morioka Iwate, Japan. |
| 128 km (80 mi) SW from epicenter |
Tōno Iwate, Japan. |
| 140 km (87 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Shizukuishi Iwate, Japan. |
| 141 km (88 mi) SSW from epicenter |
Ōfunato Iwate, Japan. |
| 145 km (90 mi) W from epicenter |
Hanawa Akita, Japan. |
| 148 km (92 mi) SW from epicenter |
Hanamaki Iwate, Japan. |
| 155 km (96 mi) SW from epicenter |
Kitakami Iwate, Japan. |
| 162 km (101 mi) SW from epicenter |
Kanegasaki Iwate, Japan. |
| 163 km (101 mi) NW from epicenter |
Mutsu Aomori, Japan. |
| 164 km (102 mi) WNW from epicenter |
Aomori Aomori, Japan. |
| 165 km (103 mi) W from epicenter |
Ōdate Akita, Japan. |
| 166 km (103 mi) SW from epicenter |
Mizusawa Iwate, Japan. |
| 169 km (105 mi) WNW from epicenter |
Kuroishi Aomori, Japan. |
| 171 km (106 mi) WNW from epicenter |
Namioka Aomori, Japan. |
| 177 km (110 mi) WNW from epicenter |
Hirosaki Aomori, Japan. |
| 181 km (112 mi) W from epicenter |
Takanosu Akita, Japan. |
| 184 km (114 mi) SW from epicenter |
Ichinoseki Iwate, Japan. |
| 186 km (116 mi) WNW from epicenter |
Goshogawara Aomori, Japan. |
| 191 km (119 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Ōmagari Akita, Japan. |
| 192 km (119 mi) WNW from epicenter |
Shimokizukuri Aomori, Japan. |
| 193 km (120 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Yokote Akita, Japan. |
| 205 km (127 mi) SW from epicenter |
Yuzawa Akita, Japan. |
| 209 km (130 mi) W from epicenter |
Noshiro Akita, Japan. |
| 209 km (130 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Akita Akita, Japan. |
| 218 km (135 mi) W from epicenter |
Tennō Akita, Japan. |
| 223 km (139 mi) SSW from epicenter |
Ishinomaki Miyagi, Japan. |
| 224 km (139 mi) SW from epicenter |
Furukawa Miyagi, Japan. |
| 225 km (140 mi) SSW from epicenter |
Yamoto Miyagi, Japan. |
| 230 km (143 mi) NW from epicenter |
Hakodate Hokkaido, Japan. |
| 238 km (148 mi) NW from epicenter |
Kamiiso Hokkaido, Japan. |
| 242 km (150 mi) NW from epicenter |
Honchō Hokkaido, Japan. |
| 243 km (151 mi) SW from epicenter |
Tomiya Miyagi, Japan. |
| 244 km (152 mi) SSW from epicenter |
Shiogama Miyagi, Japan. |
| 245 km (152 mi) SSW from epicenter |
Rifu Miyagi, Japan. |
| 247 km (153 mi) SW from epicenter |
Shinjō Yamagata, Japan. |
| 256 km (159 mi) SSW from epicenter |
Sendai Miyagi, Japan. |
| 266 km (165 mi) SW from epicenter |
Higashine Yamagata, Japan. |
| 267 km (166 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Sakata Yamagata, Japan. |
| 268 km (167 mi) NNW from epicenter |
Muroran Hokkaido, Japan. |
| 272 km (169 mi) SSW from epicenter |
Iwanuma Miyagi, Japan. |
| 274 km (170 mi) SW from epicenter |
Tendō Yamagata, Japan. |
| 279 km (173 mi) SW from epicenter |
Sagae Yamagata, Japan. |
| 282 km (175 mi) NNW from epicenter |
Tomakomai Hokkaido, Japan. |
| 282 km (175 mi) SW from epicenter |
Tsuruoka Yamagata, Japan. |
| 285 km (177 mi) SW from epicenter |
Yamagata Yamagata, Japan. |
| 292 km (181 mi) SSW from epicenter |
Shiroishi Miyagi, Japan. |
Shaking reported by 3 people
People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 3 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:
- Iwate, Iwate, Japan: 2 people.
- Misawa, Aomori, Japan: 1 person.
Aftershocks detected
Since this main shock, 1 smaller aftershock was detected. A 4.5 magnitude earthquake hit 12 hrs later 93 km (58 mi) north-northeast of this earthquake.
Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks
| Classification | Magnitude | When | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Main Shock This Earthquake |
M 5.1 |
Nov 24, 2024 08:22 (Tokyo Time) | - |
| Aftershock | M 4.5 |
12 hrs later Nov 24, 2024 20:06 (Tokyo Time) | 93 km (58 mi) NNE from Main Shock. |
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.
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.
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 October 18th, 2024, when a 5.2 magnitude earthquake hit 18 km (11 mi) further west-northwest. An even stronger magnitude 7.3 earthquake struck on March 16th, 2022.
In total, 122 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 30 days.
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
| 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 5.1. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami. |
This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 46 km (28 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami. |
Sources
Last updated 03/12/24 23:48 (). 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 us6000p7bu
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20241123_0000245
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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