In the North Pacific Ocean 186 kilometer from Morioka, Japan, a shallow MAG-4.8 foreshock occurred in the morning of Wednesday December 31st, 2025.
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Earthquake Summary
This earthquake hit under water in the North Pacific Ocean, 140 kilometers (87 mi) off the coast of Japan, 186 kilometer east of Morioka in Iwate. The center of this earthquake had a quite shallow depth of 25 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.
| Date and Time: | Dec 31, 2025 07:19 (Tokyo Time) - Dec 30, 2025 22:19 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 186 km east of Morioka, Iwate, Japan. Coordinates 39°38'5"N 143°19'33"E. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 4.8 Detected by 9 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.103 . |
| Depth: | 25 km (16 mi) A quite 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 Miyako in Iwate, Japan. Miyako is located 119 kilometer (74 mi) east of the epicenter.
Major cities near this earthquake: Sendai is located 261 km to the southwest. Morioka is located 186 km to the west. Hachinohe is located 183 km to the west-northwest.
A complete list of nearby places is included below.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 119 km (74 mi) W from epicenter |
Yamada Iwate, Japan. |
| 119 km (74 mi) W from epicenter |
Miyako Iwate, Japan. |
| 131 km (81 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Kamaishi Iwate, Japan. |
| 152 km (94 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Ōfunato Iwate, Japan. |
| 158 km (98 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Tōno Iwate, Japan. |
| 183 km (114 mi) WNW from epicenter |
Hachinohe Aomori, Japan. |
| 186 km (116 mi) W from epicenter |
Morioka Iwate, Japan. |
| 192 km (119 mi) W from epicenter |
Hanamaki Iwate, Japan. |
| 194 km (121 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Kitakami Iwate, Japan. |
| 196 km (122 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Kanegasaki Iwate, Japan. |
| 197 km (122 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Mizusawa Iwate, Japan. |
| 201 km (125 mi) W from epicenter |
Shizukuishi Iwate, Japan. |
| 202 km (126 mi) NW from epicenter |
Misawa Aomori, Japan. |
| 205 km (127 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Ichinoseki Iwate, Japan. |
| 221 km (137 mi) SW from epicenter |
Ishinomaki Miyagi, Japan. |
| 225 km (140 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Wakuya Miyagi, Japan. |
| 225 km (140 mi) WNW from epicenter |
Hanawa Akita, Japan. |
| 226 km (140 mi) SW from epicenter |
Yamoto Miyagi, Japan. |
| 230 km (143 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Kogota Miyagi, Japan. |
| 236 km (147 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Furukawa Miyagi, Japan. |
| 241 km (150 mi) W from epicenter |
Yokote Akita, Japan. |
| 241 km (150 mi) SW from epicenter |
Matsushima Miyagi, Japan. |
| 245 km (152 mi) W from epicenter |
Ōmagari Akita, Japan. |
| 246 km (153 mi) SW from epicenter |
Shiogama Miyagi, Japan. |
| 246 km (153 mi) WNW from epicenter |
Ōdate Akita, Japan. |
| 248 km (154 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Yuzawa Akita, Japan. |
| 249 km (155 mi) SW from epicenter |
Rifu Miyagi, Japan. |
| 252 km (157 mi) SW from epicenter |
Tomiya Miyagi, Japan. |
| 256 km (159 mi) WNW from epicenter |
Aomori Aomori, Japan. |
| 256 km (159 mi) NW from epicenter |
Mutsu Aomori, Japan. |
| 259 km (161 mi) WNW from epicenter |
Kuroishi Aomori, Japan. |
| 261 km (162 mi) WNW from epicenter |
Namioka Aomori, Japan. |
| 261 km (162 mi) SW from epicenter |
Sendai Miyagi, Japan. |
| 261 km (162 mi) WNW from epicenter |
Takanosu Akita, Japan. |
| 265 km (165 mi) WNW from epicenter |
Hirosaki Aomori, Japan. |
| 273 km (170 mi) SW from epicenter |
Iwanuma Miyagi, Japan. |
| 275 km (171 mi) W from epicenter |
Akita Akita, Japan. |
| 277 km (172 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Obanazawa Yamagata, Japan. |
| 277 km (172 mi) WNW from epicenter |
Goshogawara Aomori, Japan. |
| 278 km (173 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Shinjō Yamagata, Japan. |
| 279 km (173 mi) SW from epicenter |
Watari Miyagi, Japan. |
| 283 km (176 mi) WNW from epicenter |
Shimokizukuri Aomori, Japan. |
| 285 km (177 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Higashine Yamagata, Japan. |
| 285 km (177 mi) SW from epicenter |
Ōkawara Miyagi, Japan. |
| 288 km (179 mi) SW from epicenter |
Kakuda Miyagi, Japan. |
| 288 km (179 mi) WNW from epicenter |
Noshiro Akita, Japan. |
| 289 km (180 mi) W from epicenter |
Tennō Akita, Japan. |
| 292 km (181 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Tendō Yamagata, Japan. |
| 297 km (185 mi) SW from epicenter |
Shiroishi Miyagi, Japan. |
| 299 km (186 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Sagae Yamagata, Japan. |
| 300 km (186 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Yamagata Yamagata, Japan. |
This is likely a foreshock
This earthquake was followed by a stronger MAG-6 earthquake, classifying this earthquake as a foreshock.
Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks
| Classification | Magnitude | When | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foreshock | M 4.2 |
2 days earlier Dec 30, 2025 07:52 (Tokyo Time) | 48 km (30 mi) NNW from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock This Earthquake |
M 4.8 |
16 hrs earlier Dec 31, 2025 07:19 (Tokyo Time) | 65 km (40 mi) SE from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 4.8 |
15 hrs earlier Dec 31, 2025 08:51 (Tokyo Time) | 73 km (45 mi) S from Main Shock. |
| Main Shock | M 6.0 |
Dec 31, 2025 23:26 (Tokyo Time) | - |
| Aftershock | M 4.4 |
23 mins later Dec 31, 2025 23:50 (Tokyo Time) | 94 km (58 mi) WSW from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 4.9 |
2 hrs later Jan 1, 2026 01:30 (Tokyo Time) | 96 km (60 mi) N from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 4.2 |
3 hrs later Jan 1, 2026 02:30 (Tokyo Time) | 0.3 km (0.2 mi) WSW from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 4.3 |
3 hrs later Jan 1, 2026 02:31 (Tokyo Time) | 74 km (46 mi) SE from Main Shock. |
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.
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.
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 December 25th, 2025, when a 5.6 magnitude earthquake hit 188 km (117 mi) further north-northwest. An even stronger magnitude 7.6 earthquake struck on December 8th, 2025.
In total, 418 earthquakes with a magnitude of 4.8 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 9 days.
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 4.8. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami. |
This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 25 km (16 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami. |
Sources
Last updated 27/01/26 02:08 (). 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 us7000rllj
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20251230_0000302
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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