On Sunday Afternoon a Shallow M5.5 AFTERSHOCK struck in the North Pacific Ocean 179km from Morioka (Japan).

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

In the late afternoon of Sunday November 9th, 2025, a shallow and significant MAG-5.5 aftershock hit in the North Pacific Ocean 179 kilometer from Morioka, Japan. Around 2.4 million people have been exposed to shaking.

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Earthquake Summary

This earthquake hit under water in the North Pacific Ocean, 129 kilometers (80 mi) off the coast of Japan, 179 kilometer east of Morioka in Iwate. The center of this earthquake had a very shallow depth of 10 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.

Date and Time:	Nov 9, 2025 17:11 (Tokyo Time) - Nov 9, 2025 08:11 Universal Time.
Location:	179 km east of Morioka, Iwate, Japan. Coordinates 39°34'38"N 143°13'47"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.5 Detected by 122 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.053 .
Depth:	10 km (6 mi) A very 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 2.4 million people exposed to shaking

An estimated 2.4 million have been exposed to shaking (An MMI or Modified Mercalli Intensity level II or higher) as a result of this earthquake according scientific estimates published by the USGS.

Weak shaking and probably no damage may have been experienced by an estimated 2,175,000 people. At III, it is the highest MMI level this earthquake has caused. All exposure to shaking was within the borders of Japan .

Nearby towns and cities

This earthquake may have been felt in Japan . Located 110 kilometer (68 mi) east of the epicenter of this earthquake, Yamada (Iwate, Japan) is the nearest significant population center. The intensity of shaking and damage in Yamada is estimated to be around level IV on the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale (light shaking, likely no damage).

Multiple large cities are in proximity of today's earthquake. Sendai is located 251 km to the southwest (intensity unknown, possibly low). Morioka is located 179 km to the west and experienced an intensity of III (weak shaking, probably no damage). Hachinohe is located 179 km to the northwest and experienced an intensity of III (weak shaking, probably 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 IV. 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

This is likely an aftershock

This earthquake is likely an aftershock of the MAG-6.8 earthquake that struck 8 mins earlier. That main earthquake hit 16 km (10 mi) south-east of the epicenter of this MAG-5.5 aftershock.

Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks

More earthquakes coming?

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 happen often in the region

Earthquakes of this strength are very common in the region. In total, 57 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.5 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

Sources

Last updated 05/12/25 00:48 (). 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.

1. US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us6000rmee
2. European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20251109_0000151
3. Geonames.org: World Cities Database
4. Google Maps: Static API
5. Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database

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