On Sunday Evening a Shallow M5.7 Earthquake struck in the North Pacific Ocean 175km from Morioka (Japan).

Written by Earthquakelist.org on March 8th, 2026. Last updated April 1st, 2026.

In the evening of Sunday March 8th, 2026, a shallow and significant MAG-5.7 earthquake hit in the North Pacific Ocean 175 kilometer from Morioka, Japan. Around 2.8 million people have been exposed to shaking.

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Earthquake Summary

This earthquake hit under water in the North Pacific Ocean, 123 kilometers (76 mi) off the coast of Japan, 175 kilometer east of Morioka in Iwate. The center of this earthquake had a very shallow depth of 16 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.

Date and Time:	Mar 8, 2026 22:17 (Tokyo Time) - Mar 8, 2026 13:17 Universal Time.
Location:	175 km east of Morioka, Iwate, Japan. Coordinates 39°26'8"N 143°9'56"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.7 Detected by 27 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.06 .
Depth:	16 km (10 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 90% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 fatalities.

The USGS classifies the economic impact of this earthquake at level GREEN (low). They expect an 90% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 million US Dollars in economic damage and impact.

Roughly 2.8 million people exposed to shaking

An estimated 2.8 million have been exposed to shaking (An MMI or Modified Mercalli Intensity level II or higher) as a result of this earthquake according scientific estimates published by the USGS.

The highest earthquake impact level for this earthquake is IV, which corresponds with light shaking and likely no damage. Roughly 220 people are expected to be exposed to this level. Intensity level III was experienced by the majority of people (around 2.7 million). In their region, weak shaking and probably no damage can be expected. 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 104 kilometer (65 mi) east of Yamada. The intensity of shaking and damage in Yamada is estimated to be around level IV on the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale (light shaking, likely no damage).

Multiple major population centers exist within 300km of the earthquake that struck today. Sendai is located 238 km to the southwest (intensity unknown, possibly low). Morioka is located 175 km to the west and experienced an intensity of III (weak shaking, probably no damage). Hachinohe is located 185 km to the 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 intensity in shaking and damage by this earthquake is illustrated through the map below. The highest intensity measured for this earthquake is IV.

I Not felt

II Weak

III Weak

IV Light

V Moderate

VI Strong

VII Very Strong

VIII Severe

IX Violent

X Extreme

Shaking reported by 1 person

People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 1 person has reported shaking in one place in Japan.We keep updating this article as more ground reports become available. You may report that you felt this earthquake here.

Places with most reports:

• Goshogawara, Aomori, Japan: 1 person.

Aftershocks detected

Before this earthquake struck, 3 smaller foreshocks occurred. A 5.4 magnitude earthquake hit 9 mins earlier nearby.

Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks

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.

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 December 31st, 2025, when a 6 magnitude earthquake hit 78 km (48 mi) further north. An even stronger magnitude 7.6 earthquake struck on December 8th, 2025.

In total, 42 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.7 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

Sources

Last updated 01/04/26 01:08 (). 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.

1. US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us7000s2z5
2. European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20260308_0000202
3. Geonames.org: World Cities Database
4. Google Maps: Static API
5. Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database

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