Significant M5.8 Earthquake hit in the Philippine Sea near Shingū (Japan) on Wednesday Afternoon.

Written by Earthquakelist.org on February 26th, 2025. Last updated March 3rd, 2025.

In the Philippine Sea 39 kilometer from Shingū, Japan, a significant MAG-5.8 earthquake occurred in the afternoon of Wednesday February 26th, 2025. Around 33 million people have been exposed to shaking.

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Earthquake Summary

This earthquake hit under water in the Philippine Sea, 40 kilometers (25 mi) off the coast of Japan, 39 kilometer east-southeast of Shingū in Wakayama. The center of this earthquake had a deep depth of 395 km.

Date and Time:	Feb 26, 2025 14:53 (Tokyo Time) - Feb 26, 2025 05:53 Universal Time.
Location:	39 km ESE of Shingū, Wakayama, Japan. Coordinates 33°35'46"N 136°22'6"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.8 Detected by 33 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.054 .
Depth:	395 km (245 mi) A deep depth.
Max. Intensity:	III Weak On the Modified Mercalli Scale.
Tsunami Risk:	Tsunami very unlikely Earthquakes under MAG-6.5 at depths deeper than 100km are very unlikely to 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 33 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 33 million have been exposed to shaking at an MMI level of II or higher.

An estimated 4,173,000 people were exposed to level III. At this level, weak shaking and probably no damage can be expected. Intensity level II was experienced by the majority of people (around 28 million). In their region, very weak shaking and 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 . Shingū in Wakayama, Japan is the nearest significant place from the epicenter. The earthquake occurred 39 kilometer (24 mi) east-southeast of Shingū. The intensity of shaking and damage in Shingū is estimated to be around level II on the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale (very weak shaking, no damage).

Multiple major population centers exist within 300km of the earthquake that struck today. Tokyo is located 383 km to the north-east (intensity unknown, possibly low). Osaka is located 146 km to the northwest and experienced an intensity of II (very weak shaking, no damage). Nagoya is located 183 km to the north-northeast and experienced an intensity of II (very weak shaking, 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

Earthquake Intensity Map

The maximum intensity (MMI Scale) caused by this earthquake is III. The map below shows in which areas this earthquake was the most and least impactful. It is based on data from the US Geographic Survey.

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 5 people

People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 5 people have reported shaking in 5 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:

• Kamakura, Kanagawa, Japan: 1 person.
• Yamato, Kanagawa, Japan: 1 person.
• Saku, Nagano, Japan: 1 person.
• Tokyo, Tokio, Japan: 1 person.
• Shingu, Wakayama, Japan: 1 person.

Risk of aftershocks?

This earthquake did not have any significant foreshocks nor aftershocks occurring within 100km (62 mi) of its epicenter.

The risk of aftershocks decreases rapidly over time. Usually, aftershocks are at least one order of magnitude lower than a main shock.

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

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 May 14th, 2023, when a 5.8 magnitude earthquake hit 280 km (174 mi) further east. An even stronger magnitude 6.3 earthquake struck on July 27th, 2019.

In total, 5 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.8 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 years.

Tsunami very unlikely

For a serious tsunami to occur, earthquakes usually need to have a magnitude of at least 6.5 and occur at a shallow depth of maximum 100km. Neither are the case with this earthquake. However always stay cautious and monitor advice from local authorities.

Tsunami Risk Factors

Sources

Last updated 03/03/25 05:48 (). This article is automatically generated based on available data. We keep checking multiple sources for additional information. This article gets updated as new details on this earthquake become available.

1. US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us6000pvj5
2. European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20250226_0000089
3. Geonames.org: World Cities Database
4. Google Maps: Static API
5. Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database

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