Significant M5.7 Earthquake hit in the East China Sea near Hirara (Japan) on Saturday Afternoon.

Written by Earthquakelist.org on November 30th, 2024. Last updated December 3rd, 2024.

A significant M5.7 earthquake struck in the East China Sea 93 kilometer from Hirara, Japan in the late afternoon of Saturday November 30th, 2024. Shaking may have been felt by a total of 1.4 million people.

Earthquake Summary

This earthquake hit under water in the East China Sea, 90 kilometers (56 mi) off the coast of Japan, 93 kilometer north-east of Hirara in Okinawa. The center of this earthquake had a quite shallow depth of 40 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.

Date and Time:	Nov 30, 2024 17:46 (Tokyo Time) - Nov 30, 2024 08:46 Universal Time.
Location:	93 km NE of Hirara, Okinawa, Japan. Coordinates 25°16'56"N 126°3'32"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.7 Detected by 59 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.04 .
Depth:	40 km (25 mi) A quite 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 1.4 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 1.4 million have been exposed to shaking at an MMI level of II or higher.

The highest earthquake impact level for this earthquake is IV, which corresponds with light shaking and likely no damage. Roughly 36,460 people are expected to be exposed to this level. Intensity level III was experienced by the majority of people (around 1.3 million). In their region, weak shaking and probably no damage can be expected. All exposure to shaking was within the borders of Japan .

People	MMI Level	Shaking	Damage
0	I	Not noticable	None
108,000	II	Very weak	None
1,280,000	III	Weak	Probably none
36,460	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 . Hirara in Okinawa, Japan is the nearest significant place from the epicenter. The earthquake occurred 93 kilometer (58 mi) north-east of Hirara. Hirara experienced an earthquake intensity (MMI Scale) of roughly IV. That level implies light shaking and likely no damage.

A complete list of nearby places is included below. Estimated intensity data (MMI) sourced from a shake-map published by the US Geographic Survey is shown where available (cities without data probably experienced little impact).

Overview of nearby places

Cities and Towns around the epicenter of this earthquake.
Distance	Place	Intensity (MMI)
93 km (58 mi) SW from epicenter	Hirara Okinawa, Japan.	IV Light
187 km (116 mi) ENE from epicenter	Itoman Okinawa, Japan.	III Weak
191 km (119 mi) ENE from epicenter	Tomigusuku Okinawa, Japan.	III Weak
193 km (120 mi) ENE from epicenter	Naha Okinawa, Japan.	III Weak
198 km (123 mi) ENE from epicenter	Yonabaru Okinawa, Japan.	III Weak
202 km (126 mi) ENE from epicenter	Ginowan Okinawa, Japan.	III Weak
206 km (128 mi) NE from epicenter	Chatan Okinawa, Japan.	III Weak
210 km (130 mi) NE from epicenter	Okinawa Okinawa, Japan.	III Weak
210 km (130 mi) NE from epicenter	Yomitan Okinawa, Japan.	III Weak
216 km (134 mi) ENE from epicenter	Katsuren-haebaru Okinawa, Japan.	III Weak
217 km (135 mi) NE from epicenter	Gushikawa Okinawa, Japan.	III Weak
217 km (135 mi) NE from epicenter	Ishikawa Okinawa, Japan.	III Weak
218 km (135 mi) WSW from epicenter	Ishigaki Okinawa, Japan.	III Weak
243 km (151 mi) NE from epicenter	Nago Okinawa, Japan.	II Weak

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 IV.

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 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:

Chatan, Okinawa, Japan: 2 people.

Aftershocks detected

After this earthquake struck, 1 smaller aftershock occurred. At a distance of 11 km (7 mi) south-southeast of this earthquake, an aftershock struck 9 hrs later. It measured a magnitude of 4.6

Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks

Detected MAG2.5+ earthquakes within within 100km (62 mi), that occurred in the three days before and after the main shock.
Classification	Magnitude	When	Where
Main Shock This Earthquake	M 5.7	Nov 30, 2024 17:46 (Tokyo Time)	-
Aftershock	M 4.6	9 hrs later Dec 1, 2024 02:19 (Tokyo Time)	11 km (7 mi) SSE from Main Shock.

More earthquakes coming?

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).

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 September 18th, 2023, when a 6.3 magnitude earthquake hit 162 km (100 mi) further north-northwest. An even stronger magnitude 6.6 earthquake struck on November 10th, 2021.

In total, 8 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.7 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 year.

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 5.7. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami.	This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 40 km (25 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami.

Sources

Last updated 03/12/24 07:48 (). This article contains currently available information about the earthquake and is automatically composed. We continue to update this article up to a few days after the earthquake occurred.