On Friday Night a Shallow M5.3 Earthquake struck in the North Pacific Ocean 287km from Sendai (Japan).

Written by Earthquakelist.org on August 6th, 2026. Last updated September 1st, 2026.

In the North Pacific Ocean 287 kilometer from Sendai, Japan, a shallow and significant Magnitude 5.3 earthquake occurred in the night of Friday August 7th, 2026. Roughly 680 thousand people may have felt this earthquake.

Earthquake Summary

This earthquake hit under water in the North Pacific Ocean, 182 kilometers (113 mi) off the coast of Japan, 287 kilometer north-east of Sendai in Miyagi. 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:	Aug 7, 2026 02:43 (Tokyo Time) - Aug 6, 2026 17:43 Universal Time.
Location:	287 km NE of Sendai, Miyagi, Japan. Coordinates 39°37'0"N 143°42'5"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.3 Detected by 30 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.057 .
Depth:	10 km (6 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 680 thousand people exposed to shaking

An estimated 680 thousand 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.

Weak shaking and probably no damage may have been experienced by an estimated 585,400 people. At III, it is the highest MMI level this earthquake has caused. All exposure to shaking was within the borders of Japan .

People	MMI Level	Shaking	Damage
0	I	Not noticable	None
98,710	II	Very weak	None
585,400	III	Weak	Probably none
0	IV	Light	Likely none
0	V	Moderate	Very light
0	VI	Strong	Light
0	VII	Very Strong	Moderate
0	VIII	Severe	Moderate to heavy
0	IX	Violent	Heavy
0	X	Extreme	Very heavy

Nearby towns and cities

This earthquake may have been felt in Japan . Miyako in Iwate, Japan is the nearest significant place from the epicenter. The earthquake occurred 151 kilometer (94 mi) east of Miyako. The intensity of shaking and damage in Miyako is estimated to be around level III on the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale (weak shaking, probably no damage).

Major cities near this earthquake: Sendai is located 287 km to the southwest (intensity unknown, possibly low). Morioka is located 219 km to the west (intensity unknown, possibly low). Hachinohe is located 212 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

Cities and Towns around the epicenter of this earthquake.
Distance	Place	Intensity (MMI)
151 km (94 mi) W from epicenter	Miyako Iwate, Japan.	III Weak
151 km (94 mi) W from epicenter	Yamada Iwate, Japan.	III Weak
162 km (101 mi) W from epicenter	Kamaishi Iwate, Japan.	III Weak
181 km (112 mi) W from epicenter	Ōfunato Iwate, Japan.	III Weak
189 km (117 mi) W from epicenter	Tōno Iwate, Japan.	III Weak
212 km (132 mi) NW from epicenter	Hachinohe Aomori, Japan.	III Weak
219 km (136 mi) W from epicenter	Morioka Iwate, Japan.
223 km (139 mi) W from epicenter	Hanamaki Iwate, Japan.
225 km (140 mi) W from epicenter	Kitakami Iwate, Japan.
227 km (141 mi) W from epicenter	Kanegasaki Iwate, Japan.
227 km (141 mi) W from epicenter	Mizusawa Iwate, Japan.
230 km (143 mi) NW from epicenter	Misawa Aomori, Japan.	III Weak
233 km (145 mi) W from epicenter	Shizukuishi Iwate, Japan.
234 km (145 mi) W from epicenter	Ichinoseki Iwate, Japan.
247 km (153 mi) SW from epicenter	Ishinomaki Miyagi, Japan.
252 km (157 mi) SW from epicenter	Yamoto Miyagi, Japan.
252 km (157 mi) SW from epicenter	Wakuya Miyagi, Japan.
256 km (159 mi) W from epicenter	Hanawa Akita, Japan.
258 km (160 mi) SW from epicenter	Kogota Miyagi, Japan.
264 km (164 mi) SW from epicenter	Furukawa Miyagi, Japan.
267 km (166 mi) SW from epicenter	Matsushima Miyagi, Japan.
272 km (169 mi) SW from epicenter	Shiogama Miyagi, Japan.
273 km (170 mi) W from epicenter	Yokote Akita, Japan.
276 km (171 mi) SW from epicenter	Rifu Miyagi, Japan.
277 km (172 mi) W from epicenter	Ōmagari Akita, Japan.
278 km (173 mi) W from epicenter	Ōdate Akita, Japan.
279 km (173 mi) SW from epicenter	Tomiya Miyagi, Japan.
280 km (174 mi) W from epicenter	Yuzawa Akita, Japan.
281 km (175 mi) NW from epicenter	Mutsu Aomori, Japan.
285 km (177 mi) NW from epicenter	Aomori Aomori, Japan.
287 km (178 mi) SW from epicenter	Sendai Miyagi, Japan.
289 km (180 mi) NW from epicenter	Kuroishi Aomori, Japan.
291 km (181 mi) NW from epicenter	Namioka Aomori, Japan.
292 km (181 mi) W from epicenter	Takanosu Akita, Japan.
295 km (183 mi) W from epicenter	Hirosaki Aomori, Japan.
298 km (185 mi) SW from epicenter	Iwanuma Miyagi, Japan.

Earthquake Intensity Map

The maximum intensity (MMI Scale) caused by this earthquake is III. The map below shows in which areas this earthquake was the most and least impactful. It is based on data from the US Geographic Survey.

I Not felt

II Weak

III Weak

IV Light

V Moderate

VI Strong

VII Very Strong

VIII Severe

IX Violent

X Extreme

Earthquake Intensity Map based on Shakemap Data provided by USGS.

2 Aftershocks detected

This main shock was followed by 2 smaller aftershocks. Just 7 mins after this main shock, an earthquake measuring MAG-4.6 was detected 2.4 km (1.5 mi) north-east of this earthquake.

Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks

Detected MAG2.5+ earthquakes within within 100km (62 mi), that occurred in the three days before and after the main shock.
Classification	Magnitude	When	Where
Main Shock This Earthquake	M 5.3	Aug 7, 2026 02:43 (Tokyo Time)	-
Aftershock	M 4.6	7 mins later Aug 7, 2026 02:50 (Tokyo Time)	2.4 km (1.5 mi) NE from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 4.2	3 days later Aug 10, 2026 02:13 (Tokyo Time)	41 km (26 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.

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 August 1st, 2026, when a 5.5 magnitude earthquake hit 240 km (149 mi) further northwest. An even stronger magnitude 7.6 earthquake struck on December 8th, 2025.

In total, 122 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.3 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 30 days.

Low tsunami risk

DISCLAIMER: We strongly suggest to closely monitor advice from local authorities with regards to tsunami risks. Our analysis is based on automatically collected data from external sources, and these might contain mistakes. In addition, earthquakes can cause landslides that may lead to a tsunami, or be a followed by another, potentially stonger, earthquake.

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 5.3. 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 01/09/26 01:38 (). 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.