Shallow M6.1 Earthquake hit in the Sea of Japan near Kanazawa (Japan) on Tuesday Evening.

Written by Earthquakelist.org on November 26th, 2024. Last updated January 6th, 2025.

A shallow and strong Magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck in the Sea of Japan 45 kilometer from Kanazawa, Japan in the evening of Tuesday November 26th, 2024. Around 13 million people have been exposed to shaking.

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Earthquake Summary

This earthquake hit under water in the Sea of Japan, 41 kilometers (25 mi) off the coast of Japan, 45 kilometer north-northwest of Kanazawa in Ishikawa. 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 26, 2024 22:47 (Tokyo Time) - Nov 26, 2024 13:47 Universal Time.
Location:	45 km NNW of Kanazawa, Ishikawa, Japan. Coordinates 36°57'18"N 136°21'55"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 6.1 Detected by 73 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.036 .
Depth:	8 km (5 mi) A very shallow depth.
Max. Intensity:	VI Strong 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

The US Geographic Survey (USGS) describes the impact of this earthquake as follows:

One person injured at Tsubata.

Based on scientific estimates by the 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 13 million people exposed to shaking

The USGS has published a report estimating the number of people exposed to this earthquake. Acoording to their analysis, roughly 13 million have been exposed to shaking at an MMI level of II or higher.

An estimated 28,840 people were exposed to level VI. At this level, strong shaking and probably light damage can be expected. Intensity level III was experienced by a large group of people (around 5.7 million). In their region, weak shaking and probably no damage can be expected. All exposure to shaking was within the borders of Japan .

Nearby towns and cities

This earthquake may have been felt in Japan . Located 38 kilometer (24 mi) west-northwest of the epicenter of this earthquake, Hakui (Ishikawa, Japan) is the nearest significant population center. The intensity of shaking and damage in Hakui is estimated to be around level VI on the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale (strong shaking, probably light damage).

Multiple large cities are in proximity of today's earthquake. Tokyo is located 330 km to the east-southeast (intensity unknown, possibly low). Nagoya is located 203 km to the south-southeast and experienced an intensity of IV (light shaking, likely no damage). Yokohama is located 340 km to the east-southeast (intensity unknown, possibly low).

The table below provides an overview of all places in proximity of today's earthquake. Where available, the estimated intensity on the Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale in each place is included. Places where this information is omitted likely experienced little impact.

Overview of nearby places

Earthquake Intensity Map

The graph below overlays a map of the region around the epicenter with earthquake intensity data provided by the US Geographic Survey. The highest intensity level detected for this earthquake is VI.

I Not felt

II Weak

III Weak

IV Light

V Moderate

VI Strong

VII Very Strong

VIII Severe

IX Violent

X Extreme

Shaking reported by 54 people

People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 54 people have reported shaking in 25 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:

• Kanazawa, Ishikawa, Japan: 10 people.
• Kyōto, Kyōto, Japan: 9 people.
• Ōsaka, Ōsaka, Japan: 8 people.
• Takayama, Gifu, Japan: 3 people.
• Amagasaki, Hyōgo, Japan: 3 people.
• Nagano, Nagano, Japan: 2 people.
• Ōtsu, Shiga, Japan: 1 person.
• Izumi, Ōsaka, Japan: 1 person.
• Takaoka, Toyama, Japan: 1 person.
• Tokyo, Tokio, Japan: 1 person.

52 Aftershocks detected

This main shock was followed by 52 smaller aftershocks. Just 4 hrs after this main shock, an earthquake measuring MAG-4.9 was detected 7 km (5 mi) north of this earthquake.

Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks

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.

In only six percent of cases, significant earthquakes are followed by a larger main shock, making the current earthquake a foreshock. While the chance of this happening is not so large, it is adviced to maintain cautiousness in the hours and days following a major earthquake.

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 January 1st, 2024, when a 6.2 magnitude earthquake hit 49 km (30 mi) further east-northeast. An even stronger magnitude 7.5 earthquake struck on January 1st, 2024.

In total, 4 earthquakes 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 3 years.

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

Sources

Last updated 06/01/25 03:38 (). 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.

1. US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us7000nu90
2. European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20241126_0000146
3. Geonames.org: World Cities Database
4. Google Maps: Static API
5. Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database

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