A shallow and significant Magnitude 5.1 earthquake struck in the Philippine Sea 90 kilometer from Naha, Japan in the afternoon of Monday November 25th, 2024.
Felt the earthquake? Share this article: 
Earthquake Summary
This earthquake hit under water in the Philippine Sea, 83 kilometers (52 mi) off the coast of Japan, 90 kilometer east-southeast of Naha in Okinawa. The center of this earthquake had a very shallow depth of 10 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.
| Date and Time: | Nov 25, 2024 15:10 (Tokyo Time) - Nov 25, 2024 06:10 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 90 km ESE of Naha, Okinawa, Japan. Coordinates 25°53'11"N 128°30'37"E. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.1 Detected by 55 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.077 . |
| Depth: | 10 km (6 mi) A very 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 81 kilometer (50 mi) south-east of the epicenter of this earthquake, Katsuren-haebaru (Okinawa, Japan) is the nearest significant population center.
A complete list of nearby places is included below.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 81 km (50 mi) NW from epicenter |
Katsuren-haebaru Okinawa, Japan. |
| 83 km (52 mi) NW from epicenter |
Gushikawa Okinawa, Japan. |
| 84 km (52 mi) WNW from epicenter |
Yonabaru Okinawa, Japan. |
| 86 km (53 mi) WNW from epicenter |
Ginowan Okinawa, Japan. |
| 87 km (54 mi) NW from epicenter |
Okinawa Okinawa, Japan. |
| 88 km (55 mi) WNW from epicenter |
Itoman Okinawa, Japan. |
| 88 km (55 mi) WNW from epicenter |
Chatan Okinawa, Japan. |
| 89 km (55 mi) WNW from epicenter |
Tomigusuku Okinawa, Japan. |
| 90 km (56 mi) WNW from epicenter |
Naha Okinawa, Japan. |
| 91 km (57 mi) NW from epicenter |
Ishikawa Okinawa, Japan. |
| 95 km (59 mi) NW from epicenter |
Yomitan Okinawa, Japan. |
| 96 km (60 mi) NNW from epicenter |
Nago Okinawa, Japan. |
| 292 km (181 mi) NNE from epicenter |
Naze Kagoshima, Japan. |
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:
- Tomigusuku, Okinawa, Japan: 1 person.
Risk of aftershocks?
We have not yet detected any foreshocks or aftershocks (MAG-2.5 or higher) within 100km (62 mi) of this earthquake.
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 July 12th, 2024, when a 5.3 magnitude earthquake hit 95 km (59 mi) further south-southwest. An even stronger magnitude 6 earthquake struck on July 26th, 2017.
In total, 52 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.
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 10 km (6 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami. |
Sources
Last updated 02/12/24 05:58 (). 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 us6000p7j5
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20241125_0000055
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
Share this article:
