In the early morning of Friday July 17th, 2026, a significant M5.1 earthquake hit in the Philippine Sea 90 kilometer from Kanoya, Japan.
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Earthquake Summary
This earthquake hit under water in the Philippine Sea, 46 kilometers (29 mi) off the coast of Japan, 90 kilometer south-east of Kanoya in Kagoshima. The center of this earthquake had a quite shallow depth of 35 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.
| Date and Time: | Jul 17, 2026 06:49 (Tokyo Time) - Jul 16, 2026 21:49 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 90 km SE of Kanoya, Kagoshima, Japan. Coordinates 30°47'35"N 131°30'4"E. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.1 Detected by 263 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.035 . |
| Depth: | 35 km (22 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 . Located 48 kilometer (30 mi) east of the epicenter of this earthquake, Nishinoomote (Kagoshima, Japan) is the nearest significant population center.
Multiple major population centers exist within 300km of the earthquake that struck today. Kagoshima is located 125 km to the northwest. Kumamoto is located 237 km to the north. Miyazaki is located 125 km to the north.
A complete list of nearby places is included below.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 48 km (30 mi) W from epicenter |
Nishinoomote Kagoshima, Japan. |
| 81 km (50 mi) N from epicenter |
Kushima Miyazaki, Japan. |
| 85 km (53 mi) NW from epicenter |
Shibushi Kagoshima, Japan. |
| 90 km (56 mi) NW from epicenter |
Kanoya Kagoshima, Japan. |
| 91 km (57 mi) N from epicenter |
Nichinan Miyazaki, Japan. |
| 95 km (59 mi) NW from epicenter |
Ibusuki Kagoshima, Japan. |
| 106 km (66 mi) NW from epicenter |
Sueyoshichō-ninokata Kagoshima, Japan. |
| 108 km (67 mi) NW from epicenter |
Tarumizu Kagoshima, Japan. |
| 112 km (70 mi) N from epicenter |
Miyakonojō Miyazaki, Japan. |
| 125 km (78 mi) N from epicenter |
Miyazaki Miyazaki, Japan. |
| 125 km (78 mi) NW from epicenter |
Kagoshima Kagoshima, Japan. |
| 125 km (78 mi) NW from epicenter |
Makurazaki Kagoshima, Japan. |
| 126 km (78 mi) NW from epicenter |
Kokubu-matsuki Kagoshima, Japan. |
| 126 km (78 mi) NW from epicenter |
Hamanoichi Kagoshima, Japan. |
| 131 km (81 mi) NW from epicenter |
Kajiki Kagoshima, Japan. |
| 132 km (82 mi) NW from epicenter |
Kaseda-shirakame Kagoshima, Japan. |
| 139 km (86 mi) NW from epicenter |
Ijūin Kagoshima, Japan. |
| 141 km (88 mi) N from epicenter |
Kobayashi Miyazaki, Japan. |
| 146 km (91 mi) N from epicenter |
Tsuma Miyazaki, Japan. |
| 149 km (93 mi) N from epicenter |
Takanabe Miyazaki, Japan. |
| 155 km (96 mi) N from epicenter |
Kawaminami Miyazaki, Japan. |
| 156 km (97 mi) NW from epicenter |
Kushikino Kagoshima, Japan. |
| 161 km (100 mi) NW from epicenter |
Satsumasendai Kagoshima, Japan. |
| 164 km (102 mi) NW from epicenter |
Ōkuchi-shinohara Kagoshima, Japan. |
| 174 km (108 mi) NW from epicenter |
Hitoyoshi Kumamoto, Japan. |
| 179 km (111 mi) NW from epicenter |
Izumi Kagoshima, Japan. |
| 184 km (114 mi) NW from epicenter |
Akune Kagoshima, Japan. |
| 187 km (116 mi) N from epicenter |
Kadogawa Miyazaki, Japan. |
| 190 km (118 mi) NW from epicenter |
Minamata Kumamoto, Japan. |
| 200 km (124 mi) N from epicenter |
Nobeoka Miyazaki, Japan. |
| 209 km (130 mi) NW from epicenter |
Honmachi Kumamoto, Japan. |
| 221 km (137 mi) N from epicenter |
Matsubase Kumamoto, Japan. |
| 224 km (139 mi) NW from epicenter |
Hondomachi-hondo Kumamoto, Japan. |
| 225 km (140 mi) N from epicenter |
Uto Kumamoto, Japan. |
| 237 km (147 mi) N from epicenter |
Kumamoto Kumamoto, Japan. |
| 240 km (149 mi) N from epicenter |
Ōzu Kumamoto, Japan. |
| 243 km (151 mi) N from epicenter |
Saiki Ōita, Japan. |
| 246 km (153 mi) NW from epicenter |
Shimabara Nagasaki, Japan. |
| 255 km (158 mi) N from epicenter |
Tamana Kumamoto, Japan. |
| 266 km (165 mi) NW from epicenter |
Isahaya Nagasaki, Japan. |
| 266 km (165 mi) NW from epicenter |
Nagasaki Nagasaki, Japan. |
| 268 km (167 mi) N from epicenter |
Ōmuta Fukuoka, Japan. |
| 272 km (169 mi) N from epicenter |
Ōita Ōita, Japan. |
| 272 km (169 mi) NW from epicenter |
Obita Nagasaki, Japan. |
| 273 km (170 mi) N from epicenter |
Tsurusaki Ōita, Japan. |
| 276 km (171 mi) N from epicenter |
Beppu Ōita, Japan. |
| 278 km (173 mi) NW from epicenter |
Ōmura Nagasaki, Japan. |
| 279 km (173 mi) NE from epicenter |
Nakamura Kōchi, Japan. |
| 286 km (178 mi) N from epicenter |
Hita Ōita, Japan. |
| 288 km (179 mi) N from epicenter |
Uwajima Ehime, Japan. |
| 294 km (183 mi) NW from epicenter |
Saga Saga, Japan. |
| 296 km (184 mi) N from epicenter |
Kurume Fukuoka, Japan. |
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:
- Kagoshima, Kagoshima, Japan: 1 person.
2 Aftershocks detected
After this earthquake struck, 2 smaller aftershocks occurred. Just 3 hrs after this main shock, an earthquake measuring MAG-4.3 was detected 6 km (4 mi) west of this earthquake.
Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks
| Classification | Magnitude | When | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Main Shock This Earthquake |
M 5.1 |
Jul 17, 2026 06:49 (Tokyo Time) | - |
| Aftershock | M 4.1 |
34 mins later Jul 17, 2026 07:24 (Tokyo Time) | 20 km (13 mi) SW from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 4.3 |
3 hrs later Jul 17, 2026 10:02 (Tokyo Time) | 6 km (4 mi) W from Main Shock. |
More earthquakes coming?
Aftershocks are usually at least 1 order of magnitude less strong than main shocks. The more time passes, the smaller the chance and likely strength of any potential aftershocks.
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 166 km (103 mi) further southwest. An even stronger magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck on August 8th, 2024.
In total, 70 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 35 km (22 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami. |
Sources
Last updated 11/08/26 00:58 (). 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 us7000t15t
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20260716_0000382
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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