On Friday Evening a Shallow M5.5 Earthquake struck in the North Pacific Ocean 199km from Hachinohe (Japan).

Written by Earthquakelist.org on November 21st, 2025. Last updated December 14th, 2025.

A shallow and significant Magnitude 5.5 earthquake struck in the North Pacific Ocean 199 kilometer from Hachinohe, Japan in the evening of Friday November 21st, 2025. Shaking may have been felt by a total of 0.9 million people.

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Earthquake Summary

This earthquake hit under water in the North Pacific Ocean, 164 kilometers (102 mi) off the coast of Japan, 199 kilometer east-southeast of Hachinohe in Aomori. 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 21, 2025 21:22 (Tokyo Time) - Nov 21, 2025 12:22 Universal Time.
Location:	199 km ESE of Hachinohe, Aomori, Japan. Coordinates 39°37'42"N 143°32'41"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.5 Detected by 23 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.065 .
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 0.9 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 0.9 million have been exposed to shaking at an MMI level of II or higher.

The highest earthquake impact level for this earthquake is III, which corresponds with weak shaking and probably no damage. Roughly 762,100 people are expected to be exposed to this level. All exposure to shaking was within the borders of Japan .

Nearby towns and cities

This earthquake may have been felt in Japan . Located 137 kilometer (85 mi) east of the epicenter of this earthquake, Miyako (Iwate, Japan) is the nearest significant population center. Miyako experienced an earthquake intensity (MMI Scale) of roughly III. That level implies weak shaking and probably no damage.

Multiple major population centers exist within 300km of the earthquake that struck today. Sendai is located 277 km to the southwest (intensity unknown, possibly low). Morioka is located 205 km to the west (intensity unknown, possibly low). Hachinohe is located 199 km to the west-northwest and experienced an intensity of III (weak shaking, probably no damage).

An overview of nearby towns and cities is available in the overview below. If places don't have intensity data available, it likely means the experienced impact in those places was fairly small.

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

2 Aftershocks detected

This main shock was followed by 2 smaller aftershocks. At a distance of 46 km (29 mi) south-southwest of this earthquake, an aftershock struck 2 days later. It measured a magnitude of 4.2

This main shock was prefaced by 2 smaller foreshocks. Nearby this earthquake a foreshock struck 2 days earlier. It measured a magnitude of 5

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.

In only six percent of cases, significant earthquakes are followed by a larger main shock, making the current earthquake a foreshock. While the chance of this happening is not so large, it is adviced to maintain cautiousness in the hours and days following a major earthquake.

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 10th, 2025, when a 6 magnitude earthquake hit 10 km (6 mi) further south. An even stronger magnitude 7.3 earthquake struck on March 16th, 2022.

In total, 61 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 14/12/25 14:58 (). 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 us6000rpja
2. European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20251121_0000202
3. Geonames.org: World Cities Database
4. Google Maps: Static API
5. Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database

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