Significant M5.5 Earthquake hit in the North Pacific Ocean 100km from Hachinohe (Japan) on Saturday Morning.

Written by Earthquakelist.org on August 1st, 2026.

A significant M5.5 earthquake struck in the North Pacific Ocean 100 kilometer from Hachinohe, Japan around noon of Saturday August 1st, 2026. Shaking may have been felt by a total of 5.9 million people.

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Earthquake Summary

This earthquake hit under water in the North Pacific Ocean, 49 kilometers (30 mi) off the coast of Japan, 100 kilometer north of Hachinohe in Aomori. The center of this earthquake had an intermediate depth of 82 km.

Date and Time:	Aug 1, 2026 11:48 (Tokyo Time) - Aug 1, 2026 02:48 Universal Time.
Location:	100 km north of Hachinohe, Aomori, Japan. Coordinates 41°21'7"N 141°53'45"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.5 Detected by 13 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.086 .
Depth:	82 km (51 mi) An intermediate depth.
Max. Intensity:	V Moderate 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 5.9 million people exposed to shaking

This earthquake may have been felt by around 5.9 million people. That is the expected population size of the area exposed to a level of shaking of II or higher on the Modified Mercalli scale according to the USGS.

An estimated 1,419,000 people were exposed to level IV. At this level, light shaking and likely no damage can be expected. The majority of people (roughly 4.5 million) live in an area exposed to level III, where weak shaking and probably no damage is expected. All exposure to shaking was within the borders of Japan .

Nearby towns and cities

This earthquake may have been felt in Japan . Located 57 kilometer (35 mi) east of the epicenter of this earthquake, Mutsu (Aomori, Japan) is the nearest significant population center. The intensity of shaking and damage in Mutsu 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. Sapporo is located 196 km to the north and experienced an intensity of III (weak shaking, probably no damage). Aomori is located 114 km to the southwest and experienced an intensity of IV (light shaking, likely no damage). Hakodate is located 107 km to the northwest and experienced an intensity of IV (light shaking, likely no damage).

A complete list of nearby places is included below. Estimated intensity data (MMI) sourced from a shake-map published by the US Geographic Survey is shown where available (cities without data probably experienced little impact).

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 6 people

People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 6 people have reported shaking in 4 places, all within 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:

• Hachinohe, Aomori, Japan: 3 people.
• Misawa, Aomori, Japan: 1 person.
• Hakodate, Hokkaido, Japan: 1 person.
• Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan: 1 person.

Risk of aftershocks?

We monitor for foreshocks or aftershocks that have a magnitude of 2.5+ and occur within 100km (62 mi) of the epicenter of this earthquake. So far no such earthquakes have been detected.

The risk of aftershocks decreases rapidly over time. Usually, aftershocks are at least one order of magnitude lower than a main shock.

The chance that a significant earthquake like this one is followed by an even larger earthquake is not so large. On average, scientists estimate a 94% chance that a major earthquake will not be followed by an even larger one. It is still adviced to be aware of this risk

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 July 1st, 2026, when a 6 magnitude earthquake hit 135 km (84 mi) further south. An even stronger magnitude 7.6 earthquake struck on December 8th, 2025.

In total, 61 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.5 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

Sources

Last updated 01/08/26 23:18 (). This article is automatically generated based on available data. We keep checking multiple sources for additional information. This article gets updated as new details on this earthquake become available.

1. US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us6000thdk
2. European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20260801_0000032
3. Geonames.org: World Cities Database
4. Google Maps: Static API
5. Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database

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