On Thursday Night a Shallow M5.6 Earthquake struck in the North Pacific Ocean 260km from Sendai (Japan).

Written by Earthquakelist.org on August 26th, 2026. Last updated September 18th, 2026.

In the night of Thursday August 27th, 2026, a shallow and significant MAG-5.6 earthquake hit in the North Pacific Ocean 260 kilometer from Sendai, Japan. Shaking may have been felt by a total of 170 thousand people.

Earthquake Summary

This earthquake hit under water in the North Pacific Ocean, 241 kilometers (150 mi) off the coast of Japan, 260 kilometer east of Sendai in Miyagi. 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:	Aug 27, 2026 04:21 (Tokyo Time) - Aug 26, 2026 19:21 Universal Time.
Location:	260 km east of Sendai, Miyagi, Japan. Coordinates 38°10'56"N 143°50'41"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.6 Detected by 51 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.043 .
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 170 thousand people exposed to shaking

An estimated 170 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.

An estimated 68,190 people were exposed to level III. At this level, weak shaking and probably no damage can be expected. Intensity level II was experienced by the majority of people (around 100 thousand). In their region, very weak shaking and no damage can be expected. All exposure to shaking was within the borders of Japan .

People	MMI Level	Shaking	Damage
0	I	Not noticable	None
102,600	II	Very weak	None
68,190	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 . Located 210 kilometer (130 mi) south-east of the epicenter of this earthquake, Ōfunato (Iwate, Japan) is the nearest significant population center. The intensity of shaking and damage in Ōfunato 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 260 km to the west (intensity unknown, possibly low). Iwaki is located 290 km to the southwest (intensity unknown, possibly low). Morioka is located 288 km to the northwest (intensity unknown, possibly low).

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

Cities and Towns around the epicenter of this earthquake.
Distance	Place	Intensity (MMI)
210 km (130 mi) NW from epicenter	Kamaishi Iwate, Japan.	II Weak
210 km (130 mi) NW from epicenter	Ōfunato Iwate, Japan.	III Weak
218 km (135 mi) NW from epicenter	Yamada Iwate, Japan.	III Weak
224 km (139 mi) W from epicenter	Ishinomaki Miyagi, Japan.
231 km (144 mi) W from epicenter	Yamoto Miyagi, Japan.
232 km (144 mi) NW from epicenter	Miyako Iwate, Japan.	II Weak
237 km (147 mi) NW from epicenter	Tōno Iwate, Japan.
240 km (149 mi) W from epicenter	Wakuya Miyagi, Japan.
244 km (152 mi) W from epicenter	Matsushima Miyagi, Japan.
246 km (153 mi) W from epicenter	Shiogama Miyagi, Japan.
247 km (153 mi) W from epicenter	Kogota Miyagi, Japan.
250 km (155 mi) W from epicenter	Ichinoseki Iwate, Japan.
251 km (156 mi) W from epicenter	Rifu Miyagi, Japan.
256 km (159 mi) W from epicenter	Furukawa Miyagi, Japan.
258 km (160 mi) NW from epicenter	Mizusawa Iwate, Japan.
259 km (161 mi) W from epicenter	Tomiya Miyagi, Japan.
260 km (162 mi) W from epicenter	Sendai Miyagi, Japan.
261 km (162 mi) W from epicenter	Iwanuma Miyagi, Japan.
262 km (163 mi) W from epicenter	Watari Miyagi, Japan.
262 km (163 mi) W from epicenter	Namie Fukushima, Japan.
262 km (163 mi) NW from epicenter	Kanegasaki Iwate, Japan.
266 km (165 mi) NW from epicenter	Kitakami Iwate, Japan.
270 km (168 mi) W from epicenter	Kakuda Miyagi, Japan.
272 km (169 mi) NW from epicenter	Hanamaki Iwate, Japan.
273 km (170 mi) W from epicenter	Ōkawara Miyagi, Japan.
283 km (176 mi) W from epicenter	Shiroishi Miyagi, Japan.
287 km (178 mi) W from epicenter	Yanagawamachi-saiwaichō Fukushima, Japan.
288 km (179 mi) NW from epicenter	Morioka Iwate, Japan.
290 km (180 mi) SW from epicenter	Iwaki Fukushima, Japan.
292 km (181 mi) W from epicenter	Hobaramachi Fukushima, Japan.
298 km (185 mi) W from epicenter	Funehikimachi-funehiki Fukushima, Japan.
299 km (186 mi) NW from epicenter	Shizukuishi Iwate, Japan.
300 km (186 mi) W from epicenter	Fukushima Fukushima, 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.

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:

Misawa, Aomori, Japan: 1 person.

Risk of aftershocks?

We have not yet detected any foreshocks or aftershocks (MAG-2.5 or higher) within 100km (62 mi) of this earthquake.

Earthquakes can create aftershocks. These are generally at least 1 magnitude lower than any main shock, and as time passes the chance and strength of aftershocks decreases.

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 July 1st, 2026, when a 6 magnitude earthquake hit 256 km (159 mi) further northwest. An even stronger magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck on April 20th, 2026.

In total, 41 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.6 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

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 5.6. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami.	This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 16 km (10 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami.

Sources

Last updated 18/09/26 22:08 (). This article contains currently available information about the earthquake and is automatically composed. We continue to update this article up to a few days after the earthquake occurred.