In the morning of Wednesday December 17th, 2025, a shallow and significant Magnitude 5.2 earthquake hit in the North Pacific Ocean 210 kilometer from Nemuro, Japan.
Felt the earthquake? Share this article: 
Earthquake Summary
This earthquake hit under water in the North Pacific Ocean, 263 kilometers (163 mi) off the coast of Japan, 210 kilometer east of Nemuro in Hokkaido. 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: | Dec 17, 2025 10:44 (Tokyo Time) - Dec 17, 2025 01:44 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 210 km east of Nemuro, Hokkaido, Japan. Coordinates 43°27'9"N 148°10'25"E. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.2 Detected by 9 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.103 . |
| Depth: | 10 km (6 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 . Nemuro in Hokkaido, Japan is the nearest significant place from the epicenter. The earthquake occurred 210 kilometer (130 mi) east of Nemuro.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 210 km (130 mi) W from epicenter |
Nemuro Hokkaido, Japan. |
| 246 km (153 mi) W from epicenter |
Shibetsu Hokkaido, Japan. |
| 258 km (160 mi) W from epicenter |
Nakashibetsu Hokkaido, Japan. |
Aftershocks detected
This main shock was prefaced by 3 smaller foreshocks. Nearby this earthquake a foreshock struck 8 hrs earlier. It measured a magnitude of 4.5
Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks
| Classification | Magnitude | When | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foreshock | M 4.5 |
1 day earlier Dec 16, 2025 00:47 (Tokyo Time) | 89 km (55 mi) N from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 4.5 |
8 hrs earlier Dec 17, 2025 02:27 (Tokyo Time) | 13 km (8 mi) SW from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 4.5 |
8 hrs earlier Dec 17, 2025 02:27 (Tokyo Time) | 55 km (34 mi) S from Main Shock. |
| Main Shock This Earthquake |
M 5.2 |
Dec 17, 2025 10:44 (Tokyo Time) | - |
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.
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.
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 October 24th, 2025, when a 5.7 magnitude earthquake hit 219 km (136 mi) further west-southwest. An even stronger magnitude 7 earthquake struck on February 13th, 2020.
In total, 35 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 3 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 10 km (6 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami. |
Sources
Last updated 17/12/25 05:48 (). 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 us6000rve6
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20251217_0000034
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
Share this article:
