In the early afternoon of Tuesday November 26th, 2024, a significant MAG-5.3 earthquake hit in the North Pacific Ocean 83 kilometer from Ishinomaki, Japan.
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Earthquake Summary
This earthquake hit under water in the North Pacific Ocean, 56 kilometers (35 mi) off the coast of Japan, 83 kilometer east-northeast of Ishinomaki in Miyagi. The center of this earthquake had a quite shallow depth of 35 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.
| Date and Time: | Nov 26, 2024 13:31 (Tokyo Time) - Nov 26, 2024 04:31 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 83 km ENE of Ishinomaki, Miyagi, Japan. Coordinates 38°39'32"N 142°11'49"E. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.3 Detected by 24 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.063 . |
| Depth: | 35 km (22 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 62 kilometer (39 mi) south-east of the epicenter of this earthquake, Ōfunato (Iwate, Japan) is the nearest significant population center.
Major cities near this earthquake: Sendai is located 124 km to the west-southwest. Niigata is located 291 km to the west-southwest. Morioka is located 147 km to the northwest.
A complete list of nearby places is included below.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 62 km (39 mi) NW from epicenter |
Ōfunato Iwate, Japan. |
| 74 km (46 mi) NNW from epicenter |
Kamaishi Iwate, Japan. |
| 83 km (52 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Ishinomaki Miyagi, Japan. |
| 89 km (55 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Yamoto Miyagi, Japan. |
| 92 km (57 mi) NNW from epicenter |
Yamada Iwate, Japan. |
| 93 km (58 mi) W from epicenter |
Wakuya Miyagi, Japan. |
| 93 km (58 mi) NW from epicenter |
Tōno Iwate, Japan. |
| 97 km (60 mi) WNW from epicenter |
Ichinoseki Iwate, Japan. |
| 100 km (62 mi) W from epicenter |
Kogota Miyagi, Japan. |
| 104 km (65 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Matsushima Miyagi, Japan. |
| 106 km (66 mi) WNW from epicenter |
Mizusawa Iwate, Japan. |
| 108 km (67 mi) W from epicenter |
Furukawa Miyagi, Japan. |
| 108 km (67 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Shiogama Miyagi, Japan. |
| 111 km (69 mi) WNW from epicenter |
Kanegasaki Iwate, Japan. |
| 112 km (70 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Rifu Miyagi, Japan. |
| 112 km (70 mi) NNW from epicenter |
Miyako Iwate, Japan. |
| 116 km (72 mi) NW from epicenter |
Kitakami Iwate, Japan. |
| 118 km (73 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Tomiya Miyagi, Japan. |
| 123 km (76 mi) NW from epicenter |
Hanamaki Iwate, Japan. |
| 124 km (77 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Sendai Miyagi, Japan. |
| 132 km (82 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Iwanuma Miyagi, Japan. |
| 136 km (85 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Watari Miyagi, Japan. |
| 144 km (89 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Ōkawara Miyagi, Japan. |
| 146 km (91 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Kakuda Miyagi, Japan. |
| 147 km (91 mi) NW from epicenter |
Morioka Iwate, Japan. |
| 156 km (97 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Shiroishi Miyagi, Japan. |
| 156 km (97 mi) W from epicenter |
Obanazawa Yamagata, Japan. |
| 157 km (98 mi) WNW from epicenter |
Yuzawa Akita, Japan. |
| 158 km (98 mi) W from epicenter |
Higashine Yamagata, Japan. |
| 160 km (99 mi) WNW from epicenter |
Yokote Akita, Japan. |
| 163 km (101 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Tendō Yamagata, Japan. |
| 165 km (103 mi) W from epicenter |
Shinjō Yamagata, Japan. |
| 166 km (103 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Yamagata Yamagata, Japan. |
| 170 km (106 mi) W from epicenter |
Sagae Yamagata, Japan. |
| 172 km (107 mi) WNW from epicenter |
Ōmagari Akita, Japan. |
| 172 km (107 mi) SW from epicenter |
Hobaramachi Fukushima, Japan. |
| 177 km (110 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Kaminoyama Yamagata, Japan. |
| 182 km (113 mi) SW from epicenter |
Fukushima Fukushima, Japan. |
| 195 km (121 mi) SW from epicenter |
Nihommatsu Fukushima, Japan. |
| 200 km (124 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Yonezawa Yamagata, Japan. |
| 205 km (127 mi) W from epicenter |
Sakata Yamagata, Japan. |
| 206 km (128 mi) W from epicenter |
Tsuruoka Yamagata, Japan. |
| 212 km (132 mi) SW from epicenter |
Kōriyama Fukushima, Japan. |
| 213 km (132 mi) SSW from epicenter |
Iwaki Fukushima, Japan. |
| 213 km (132 mi) NNW from epicenter |
Hachinohe Aomori, Japan. |
| 214 km (133 mi) WNW from epicenter |
Akita Akita, Japan. |
| 261 km (162 mi) NW from epicenter |
Hirosaki Aomori, Japan. |
| 265 km (165 mi) SW from epicenter |
Nasushiobara Tochigi, Japan. |
| 266 km (165 mi) SSW from epicenter |
Hitachi Ibaraki, Japan. |
| 271 km (168 mi) NNW from epicenter |
Aomori Aomori, Japan. |
| 291 km (181 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Niigata Niigata, Japan. |
| 299 km (186 mi) SSW from epicenter |
Mito Ibaraki, 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:
- Sendai, Miyagi, Japan: 1 person.
Aftershocks detected
After this earthquake struck, 1 smaller aftershock occurred. A 4 magnitude earthquake hit 2 days later 28 km (17 mi) north-northwest of this earthquake.
This main shock was prefaced by 1 smaller foreshock. A 4.1 magnitude earthquake hit 11 hrs earlier nearby.
Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks
| Classification | Magnitude | When | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foreshock | M 4.1 |
11 hrs earlier Nov 26, 2024 02:17 (Tokyo Time) | 81 km (50 mi) SSW from Main Shock. |
| Main Shock This Earthquake |
M 5.3 |
Nov 26, 2024 13:31 (Tokyo Time) | - |
| Aftershock | M 4.0 |
2 days later Nov 28, 2024 21:36 (Tokyo Time) | 28 km (17 mi) NNW 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 July 28th, 2024, when a 5.3 magnitude earthquake hit 159 km (99 mi) further north-east. An even stronger magnitude 7.3 earthquake struck on March 16th, 2022.
In total, 111 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.3 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 month.
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 5.3. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami. |
This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 35 km (22 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami. |
Sources
Last updated 04/12/24 04:48 (). 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 us7000nu6z
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20241126_0000041
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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