In the North Pacific Ocean 79 kilometer from Hachinohe, Japan, a significant M5.2 earthquake occurred in the late afternoon of Saturday March 8th, 2025.
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Earthquake Summary
This earthquake hit under water in the North Pacific Ocean, 51 kilometers (31 mi) off the coast of Japan, 79 kilometer east-southeast of Hachinohe in Aomori. The center of this earthquake had a quite shallow depth of 58 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.
| Date and Time: | Mar 8, 2025 16:12 (Tokyo Time) - Mar 8, 2025 07:12 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 79 km ESE of Hachinohe, Aomori, Japan. Coordinates 40°12'19"N 142°20'57"E. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.2 Detected by 16 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.078 . |
| Depth: | 58 km (36 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 . Miyako in Iwate, Japan is the nearest significant place from the epicenter. The earthquake occurred 71 kilometer (44 mi) north-northeast of Miyako.
Multiple large cities are in proximity of today's earthquake. Sendai is located 251 km to the south-southwest. Hachinohe is located 79 km to the west-northwest. Morioka is located 117 km to the west-southwest.
An overview of nearby towns and cities is available in the overview below.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 71 km (44 mi) SSW from epicenter |
Miyako Iwate, Japan. |
| 79 km (49 mi) WNW from epicenter |
Hachinohe Aomori, Japan. |
| 89 km (55 mi) SSW from epicenter |
Yamada Iwate, Japan. |
| 97 km (60 mi) WNW from epicenter |
Misawa Aomori, Japan. |
| 111 km (69 mi) SSW from epicenter |
Kamaishi Iwate, Japan. |
| 117 km (73 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Morioka Iwate, Japan. |
| 121 km (75 mi) SW from epicenter |
Tōno Iwate, Japan. |
| 129 km (80 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Shizukuishi Iwate, Japan. |
| 133 km (83 mi) W from epicenter |
Hanawa Akita, Japan. |
| 137 km (85 mi) SSW from epicenter |
Ōfunato Iwate, Japan. |
| 139 km (86 mi) SW from epicenter |
Hanamaki Iwate, Japan. |
| 147 km (91 mi) SW from epicenter |
Kitakami Iwate, Japan. |
| 152 km (94 mi) W from epicenter |
Ōdate Akita, Japan. |
| 153 km (95 mi) WNW from epicenter |
Aomori Aomori, Japan. |
| 154 km (96 mi) NW from epicenter |
Mutsu Aomori, Japan. |
| 154 km (96 mi) SW from epicenter |
Kanegasaki Iwate, Japan. |
| 157 km (98 mi) WNW from epicenter |
Kuroishi Aomori, Japan. |
| 158 km (98 mi) SW from epicenter |
Mizusawa Iwate, Japan. |
| 159 km (99 mi) WNW from epicenter |
Namioka Aomori, Japan. |
| 165 km (103 mi) WNW from epicenter |
Hirosaki Aomori, Japan. |
| 168 km (104 mi) W from epicenter |
Takanosu Akita, Japan. |
| 175 km (109 mi) WNW from epicenter |
Goshogawara Aomori, Japan. |
| 177 km (110 mi) SW from epicenter |
Ichinoseki Iwate, Japan. |
| 180 km (112 mi) WNW from epicenter |
Shimokizukuri Aomori, Japan. |
| 180 km (112 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Ōmagari Akita, Japan. |
| 183 km (114 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Yokote Akita, Japan. |
| 196 km (122 mi) SW from epicenter |
Yuzawa Akita, Japan. |
| 197 km (122 mi) W from epicenter |
Noshiro Akita, Japan. |
| 198 km (123 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Akita Akita, Japan. |
| 206 km (128 mi) W from epicenter |
Tennō Akita, Japan. |
| 218 km (135 mi) SSW from epicenter |
Ishinomaki Miyagi, Japan. |
| 218 km (135 mi) SSW from epicenter |
Furukawa Miyagi, Japan. |
| 220 km (137 mi) SSW from epicenter |
Yamoto Miyagi, Japan. |
| 221 km (137 mi) NW from epicenter |
Hakodate Hokkaido, Japan. |
| 230 km (143 mi) NW from epicenter |
Kamiiso Hokkaido, Japan. |
| 234 km (145 mi) NW from epicenter |
Honchō Hokkaido, Japan. |
| 238 km (148 mi) SW from epicenter |
Shinjō Yamagata, Japan. |
| 238 km (148 mi) SSW from epicenter |
Tomiya Miyagi, Japan. |
| 239 km (149 mi) SSW from epicenter |
Shiogama Miyagi, Japan. |
| 240 km (149 mi) SSW from epicenter |
Rifu Miyagi, Japan. |
| 251 km (156 mi) SSW from epicenter |
Sendai Miyagi, Japan. |
| 257 km (160 mi) SW from epicenter |
Sakata Yamagata, Japan. |
| 258 km (160 mi) SW from epicenter |
Higashine Yamagata, Japan. |
| 261 km (162 mi) NNW from epicenter |
Muroran Hokkaido, Japan. |
| 267 km (166 mi) SW from epicenter |
Tendō Yamagata, Japan. |
| 267 km (166 mi) SSW from epicenter |
Iwanuma Miyagi, Japan. |
| 271 km (168 mi) SW from epicenter |
Sagae Yamagata, Japan. |
| 273 km (170 mi) SW from epicenter |
Tsuruoka Yamagata, Japan. |
| 277 km (172 mi) NNW from epicenter |
Tomakomai Hokkaido, Japan. |
| 278 km (173 mi) SW from epicenter |
Yamagata Yamagata, Japan. |
| 296 km (184 mi) NNW from epicenter |
Chitose Hokkaido, Japan. |
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 November 26th, 2024, when a 5.3 magnitude earthquake hit 167 km (104 mi) further south. An even stronger magnitude 7.3 earthquake struck on March 16th, 2022.
In total, 82 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.2 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 5.2. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami. |
This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 58 km (36 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami. |
Sources
Last updated 12/03/25 07:08 (). 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 us6000pxln
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20250308_0000070
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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