Shallow M5.1 FORESHOCK hit in the North Pacific Ocean 191km from Morioka (Japan) on Sunday Morning.

Written by Earthquakelist.org on November 9th, 2025. Last updated December 5th, 2025.

A shallow and significant M5.1 foreshock struck in the North Pacific Ocean 191 kilometer from Morioka, Japan in the morning of Sunday November 9th, 2025.

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Earthquake Summary

This earthquake hit under water in the North Pacific Ocean, 143 kilometers (89 mi) off the coast of Japan, 191 kilometer east of Morioka in Iwate. The center of this earthquake had a very shallow depth of 18 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.

Date and Time:	Nov 9, 2025 09:17 (Tokyo Time) - Nov 9, 2025 00:17 Universal Time.
Location:	191 km east of Morioka, Iwate, Japan. Coordinates 39°26'36"N 143°20'58"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.1 Detected by 16 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.078 .
Depth:	18 km (11 mi) A very 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 . The closest significant population center near the earthquake is Yamada in Iwate, Japan. Yamada is located 120 kilometer (75 mi) east of the epicenter.

Major cities near this earthquake: Sendai is located 252 km to the west-southwest. Morioka is located 191 km to the west. Hachinohe is located 197 km to the northwest.

The table below provides an overview of all places in proximity of today's earthquake.

Overview of nearby places

This is likely a foreshock

This earthquake was followed by a stronger MAG-6.8 earthquake, classifying this earthquake as a foreshock.

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.

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 happen often in the region

Earthquakes of this strength are very common in the region. This is the strongest earthquake to hit since November 8th, 2025, when a 5.5 magnitude earthquake hit 8 km (5 mi) further north-east. An even stronger magnitude 7.3 earthquake struck on March 16th, 2022.

In total, 118 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.1 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 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

Sources

Last updated 05/12/25 01:28 (). 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 us6000rmbc
2. European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20251109_0000003
3. Geonames.org: World Cities Database
4. Google Maps: Static API
5. Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database

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