Shallow M5.3 AFTERSHOCK hit in the North Pacific Ocean 260km from Sendai (Japan) on Monday Morning.

Written by Earthquakelist.org on November 10th, 2025. Last updated December 4th, 2025.

In the North Pacific Ocean 260 kilometer from Sendai, Japan, a shallow and significant MAG-5.3 aftershock occurred in the morning of Monday November 10th, 2025. Around 740 thousand people have been exposed to shaking.

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Earthquake Summary

This earthquake hit under water in the North Pacific Ocean, 172 kilometers (107 mi) off the coast of Japan, 260 kilometer east-northeast of Sendai in Miyagi. 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 10, 2025 10:20 (Tokyo Time) - Nov 10, 2025 01:20 Universal Time.
Location:	260 km ENE of Sendai, Miyagi, Japan. Coordinates 39°14'34"N 143°35'12"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.3 Detected by 25 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.062 .
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 740 thousand people exposed to shaking

The USGS has published a report estimating the number of people exposed to this earthquake. Acoording to their analysis, roughly 740 thousand have been exposed to shaking at an MMI level of II or higher.

Weak shaking and probably no damage may have been experienced by an estimated 535,400 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 . Yamada in Iwate, Japan is the nearest significant place from the epicenter. The earthquake occurred 143 kilometer (89 mi) east of Yamada. The intensity of shaking and damage in Yamada is estimated to be around level III on the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale (weak shaking, probably no damage).

Major cities near this earthquake: Sendai is located 260 km to the west-southwest (intensity unknown, possibly low). Morioka is located 215 km to the west-northwest (intensity unknown, possibly low). Hachinohe is located 226 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 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 III.

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

Approximately 17 hrs before this earthquake hit, a larger 6.8 magnitude earthquake struck 23 km (14 mi) northwest of this one. For that reason, we classify the Mag. 5.3 earthquake as an aftershock.

Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks

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.

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.

Earthquakes like this happen often in the region

Earthquakes of this strength are very common in the region. In total, 96 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.3 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 04/12/25 04:18 (). 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 us6000rmj3
2. European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20251110_0000015
3. Geonames.org: World Cities Database
4. Google Maps: Static API
5. Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database

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