In the North Pacific Ocean 181 kilometer from Morioka, Japan, a 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, 133 kilometers (83 mi) off the coast of Japan, 181 kilometer east of Morioka in Iwate. The center of this earthquake had a quite shallow depth of 34 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: | 181 km east of Morioka, Iwate, Japan. Coordinates 39°39'15"N 143°15'37"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: | 34 km (21 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 113 kilometer (70 mi) east of the epicenter.
Major cities near this earthquake: Sendai is located 258 km to the southwest. Morioka is located 181 km to the west. Hachinohe is located 177 km to the west-northwest.
A complete list of nearby places is included below.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 113 km (70 mi) W from epicenter |
Miyako Iwate, Japan. |
| 114 km (71 mi) W from epicenter |
Yamada Iwate, Japan. |
| 127 km (79 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Kamaishi Iwate, Japan. |
| 148 km (92 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Ōfunato Iwate, Japan. |
| 153 km (95 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Tōno Iwate, Japan. |
| 177 km (110 mi) WNW from epicenter |
Hachinohe Aomori, Japan. |
| 181 km (112 mi) W from epicenter |
Morioka Iwate, Japan. |
| 186 km (116 mi) W from epicenter |
Hanamaki Iwate, Japan. |
| 189 km (117 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Kitakami Iwate, Japan. |
| 191 km (119 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Kanegasaki Iwate, Japan. |
| 192 km (119 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Mizusawa Iwate, Japan. |
| 195 km (121 mi) W from epicenter |
Shizukuishi Iwate, Japan. |
| 196 km (122 mi) NW from epicenter |
Misawa Aomori, Japan. |
| 201 km (125 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Ichinoseki Iwate, Japan. |
| 218 km (135 mi) SW from epicenter |
Ishinomaki Miyagi, Japan. |
| 219 km (136 mi) WNW from epicenter |
Hanawa Akita, Japan. |
| 221 km (137 mi) SW from epicenter |
Wakuya Miyagi, Japan. |
| 223 km (139 mi) SW from epicenter |
Yamoto Miyagi, Japan. |
| 227 km (141 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Kogota Miyagi, Japan. |
| 232 km (144 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Furukawa Miyagi, Japan. |
| 236 km (147 mi) W from epicenter |
Yokote Akita, Japan. |
| 237 km (147 mi) SW from epicenter |
Matsushima Miyagi, Japan. |
| 239 km (149 mi) W from epicenter |
Ōmagari Akita, Japan. |
| 240 km (149 mi) WNW from epicenter |
Ōdate Akita, Japan. |
| 243 km (151 mi) SW from epicenter |
Shiogama Miyagi, Japan. |
| 243 km (151 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Yuzawa Akita, Japan. |
| 246 km (153 mi) SW from epicenter |
Rifu Miyagi, Japan. |
| 248 km (154 mi) SW from epicenter |
Tomiya Miyagi, Japan. |
| 250 km (155 mi) WNW from epicenter |
Aomori Aomori, Japan. |
| 251 km (156 mi) NW from epicenter |
Mutsu Aomori, Japan. |
| 253 km (157 mi) WNW from epicenter |
Kuroishi Aomori, Japan. |
| 255 km (158 mi) WNW from epicenter |
Takanosu Akita, Japan. |
| 255 km (158 mi) WNW from epicenter |
Namioka Aomori, Japan. |
| 258 km (160 mi) SW from epicenter |
Sendai Miyagi, Japan. |
| 259 km (161 mi) WNW from epicenter |
Hirosaki Aomori, Japan. |
| 269 km (167 mi) W from epicenter |
Akita Akita, Japan. |
| 270 km (168 mi) SW from epicenter |
Iwanuma Miyagi, Japan. |
| 271 km (168 mi) WNW from epicenter |
Goshogawara Aomori, Japan. |
| 273 km (170 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Obanazawa Yamagata, Japan. |
| 274 km (170 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Shinjō Yamagata, Japan. |
| 276 km (171 mi) SW from epicenter |
Watari Miyagi, Japan. |
| 277 km (172 mi) WNW from epicenter |
Shimokizukuri Aomori, Japan. |
| 282 km (175 mi) WNW from epicenter |
Noshiro Akita, Japan. |
| 282 km (175 mi) SW from epicenter |
Ōkawara Miyagi, Japan. |
| 282 km (175 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Higashine Yamagata, Japan. |
| 283 km (176 mi) W from epicenter |
Tennō Akita, Japan. |
| 285 km (177 mi) SW from epicenter |
Kakuda Miyagi, Japan. |
| 289 km (180 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Tendō Yamagata, Japan. |
| 293 km (182 mi) SW from epicenter |
Shiroishi Miyagi, Japan. |
| 295 km (183 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Sagae Yamagata, Japan. |
| 296 km (184 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 This Earthquake |
M 4.8 |
16 hrs earlier Dec 31, 2025 07:19 (Tokyo Time) | 60 km (37 mi) SSE from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 4.8 |
15 hrs earlier Dec 31, 2025 08:51 (Tokyo Time) | 71 km (44 mi) SSW 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) | 98 km (61 mi) N 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, 421 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 34 km (21 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami. |
Sources
Last updated 01/01/26 21:38 (). 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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