A significant Magnitude 5.1 earthquake struck in the North Pacific Ocean 174 kilometer from Morioka, Japan in the night of Friday October 2nd, 2026.
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Earthquake Summary
This earthquake hit under water in the North Pacific Ocean, 128 kilometers (80 mi) off the coast of Japan, 174 kilometer east of Morioka in Iwate. 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: | Oct 2, 2026 02:17 (Tokyo Time) - Oct 1, 2026 17:17 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 174 km east of Morioka, Iwate, Japan. Coordinates 39°52'40"N 143°10'24"E. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.1 Detected by 12 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.089 . |
| 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 . Miyako in Iwate, Japan is the nearest significant place from the epicenter. The earthquake occurred 108 kilometer (67 mi) east of Miyako.
Multiple large cities are in proximity of today's earthquake. Sendai is located 268 km to the southwest. Morioka is located 174 km to the west. Hachinohe is located 158 km to the northwest.
An overview of nearby towns and cities is available in the overview below.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 108 km (67 mi) W from epicenter |
Miyako Iwate, Japan. |
| 114 km (71 mi) SW from epicenter |
Yamada Iwate, Japan. |
| 130 km (81 mi) SW from epicenter |
Kamaishi Iwate, Japan. |
| 154 km (96 mi) SW from epicenter |
Tōno Iwate, Japan. |
| 154 km (96 mi) SW from epicenter |
Ōfunato Iwate, Japan. |
| 158 km (98 mi) NW from epicenter |
Hachinohe Aomori, Japan. |
| 174 km (108 mi) W from epicenter |
Morioka Iwate, Japan. |
| 176 km (109 mi) NW from epicenter |
Misawa Aomori, Japan. |
| 185 km (115 mi) W from epicenter |
Hanamaki Iwate, Japan. |
| 188 km (117 mi) W from epicenter |
Kitakami Iwate, Japan. |
| 188 km (117 mi) W from epicenter |
Shizukuishi Iwate, Japan. |
| 192 km (119 mi) SW from epicenter |
Kanegasaki Iwate, Japan. |
| 194 km (121 mi) SW from epicenter |
Mizusawa Iwate, Japan. |
| 205 km (127 mi) SW from epicenter |
Ichinoseki Iwate, Japan. |
| 206 km (128 mi) W from epicenter |
Hanawa Akita, Japan. |
| 227 km (141 mi) W from epicenter |
Ōdate Akita, Japan. |
| 228 km (142 mi) NW from epicenter |
Mutsu Aomori, Japan. |
| 229 km (142 mi) SW from epicenter |
Ishinomaki Miyagi, Japan. |
| 230 km (143 mi) SW from epicenter |
Wakuya Miyagi, Japan. |
| 232 km (144 mi) NW from epicenter |
Aomori Aomori, Japan. |
| 233 km (145 mi) W from epicenter |
Yokote Akita, Japan. |
| 234 km (145 mi) SW from epicenter |
Yamoto Miyagi, Japan. |
| 235 km (146 mi) W from epicenter |
Ōmagari Akita, Japan. |
| 235 km (146 mi) SW from epicenter |
Kogota Miyagi, Japan. |
| 236 km (147 mi) W from epicenter |
Kuroishi Aomori, Japan. |
| 238 km (148 mi) W from epicenter |
Namioka Aomori, Japan. |
| 240 km (149 mi) SW from epicenter |
Furukawa Miyagi, Japan. |
| 242 km (150 mi) W from epicenter |
Takanosu Akita, Japan. |
| 243 km (151 mi) W from epicenter |
Yuzawa Akita, Japan. |
| 243 km (151 mi) W from epicenter |
Hirosaki Aomori, Japan. |
| 247 km (153 mi) SW from epicenter |
Matsushima Miyagi, Japan. |
| 253 km (157 mi) SW from epicenter |
Shiogama Miyagi, Japan. |
| 253 km (157 mi) NW from epicenter |
Goshogawara Aomori, Japan. |
| 256 km (159 mi) SW from epicenter |
Rifu Miyagi, Japan. |
| 257 km (160 mi) SW from epicenter |
Tomiya Miyagi, Japan. |
| 259 km (161 mi) NW from epicenter |
Shimokizukuri Aomori, Japan. |
| 262 km (163 mi) W from epicenter |
Akita Akita, Japan. |
| 268 km (167 mi) SW from epicenter |
Sendai Miyagi, Japan. |
| 270 km (168 mi) W from epicenter |
Noshiro Akita, Japan. |
| 274 km (170 mi) W from epicenter |
Tennō Akita, Japan. |
| 277 km (172 mi) SW from epicenter |
Shinjō Yamagata, Japan. |
| 278 km (173 mi) SW from epicenter |
Obanazawa Yamagata, Japan. |
| 281 km (175 mi) SW from epicenter |
Iwanuma Miyagi, Japan. |
| 281 km (175 mi) N from epicenter |
Shizunai-furukawachō Hokkaido, Japan. |
| 287 km (178 mi) SW from epicenter |
Watari Miyagi, Japan. |
| 288 km (179 mi) SW from epicenter |
Higashine Yamagata, Japan. |
| 293 km (182 mi) SW from epicenter |
Ōkawara Miyagi, Japan. |
| 294 km (183 mi) NW from epicenter |
Hakodate Hokkaido, Japan. |
| 295 km (183 mi) SW from epicenter |
Tendō Yamagata, Japan. |
| 297 km (185 mi) SW from epicenter |
Kakuda Miyagi, 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:
- Miyako, Iwate, Japan: 1 person.
Aftershocks detected
Before this earthquake struck, 1 smaller foreshock occurred. Roughly 2 days before this earthquake, a foreshock measuring MAG-4.4 was detected nearby this earthquake.
Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks
| Classification | Magnitude | When | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foreshock | M 4.4 |
2 days earlier Sep 29, 2026 15:16 (Tokyo Time) | 22 km (13 mi) S from Main Shock. |
| Main Shock This Earthquake |
M 5.1 |
Oct 2, 2026 02:17 (Tokyo Time) | - |
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.
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
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 26th, 2026, when a 5.6 magnitude earthquake hit 197 km (122 mi) further south. An even stronger magnitude 7.6 earthquake struck on December 8th, 2025.
In total, 157 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 23 days.
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 01/10/26 22:38 (). 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.
- US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us6000tyw6
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20261001_0000280
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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