In the late afternoon of Sunday March 29th, 2026, a shallow and significant Magnitude 5.1 earthquake hit in the East China Sea 191 kilometer from Okinawa, Japan.
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Earthquake Summary
This earthquake hit under water in the East China Sea, 84 kilometers (52 mi) off the coast of Japan, 191 kilometer north of Okinawa. 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: | Mar 29, 2026 16:07 (Tokyo Time) - Mar 29, 2026 07:07 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 191 km north of Okinawa, Japan. Coordinates 28°1'22"N 128°9'1"E. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.1 Detected by 27 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.06 . |
| 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 . The closest significant population center near the earthquake is Naze in Kagoshima, Japan. Naze is located 136 kilometer (85 mi) west of the epicenter.
The table below provides an overview of all places in proximity of today's earthquake.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 136 km (85 mi) E from epicenter |
Naze Kagoshima, Japan. |
| 157 km (98 mi) S from epicenter |
Nago Okinawa, Japan. |
| 181 km (112 mi) S from epicenter |
Ishikawa Okinawa, Japan. |
| 185 km (115 mi) S from epicenter |
Yomitan Okinawa, Japan. |
| 187 km (116 mi) S from epicenter |
Gushikawa Okinawa, Japan. |
| 190 km (118 mi) S from epicenter |
Katsuren-haebaru Okinawa, Japan. |
| 191 km (119 mi) S from epicenter |
Okinawa Okinawa, Japan. |
| 194 km (121 mi) S from epicenter |
Chatan Okinawa, Japan. |
| 199 km (124 mi) S from epicenter |
Ginowan Okinawa, Japan. |
| 206 km (128 mi) S from epicenter |
Naha Okinawa, Japan. |
| 206 km (128 mi) S from epicenter |
Yonabaru Okinawa, Japan. |
| 209 km (130 mi) S from epicenter |
Tomigusuku Okinawa, Japan. |
| 216 km (134 mi) S from epicenter |
Itoman Okinawa, Japan. |
2 Aftershocks detected
This main shock was followed by 2 smaller aftershocks. At a distance of 10 km (6 mi) north-east of this earthquake, an aftershock struck 19 hrs later. It measured a magnitude of 4.3
Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks
| Classification | Magnitude | When | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Main Shock This Earthquake |
M 5.1 |
Mar 29, 2026 16:07 (Tokyo Time) | - |
| Aftershock | M 4.3 |
19 hrs later Mar 30, 2026 10:44 (Tokyo Time) | 10 km (6 mi) NE from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 4.2 |
19 hrs later Mar 30, 2026 11:22 (Tokyo Time) | 37 km (23 mi) W 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.
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 March 21st, 2026, when a 5.4 magnitude earthquake hit 295 km (183 mi) further north-east. An even stronger magnitude 6.6 earthquake struck on June 13th, 2020.
In total, 79 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.1 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
| 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 5.1. 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 21/04/26 09:38 (). 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 us7000s8id
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20260329_0000110
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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