A shallow and significant Magnitude 5.1 earthquake struck in the North Pacific Ocean 169 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, 122 kilometers (76 mi) off the coast of Japan, 169 kilometer east of Morioka in Iwate. The center of this earthquake had a very shallow depth of 15 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: | 169 km east of Morioka, Iwate, Japan. Coordinates 39°51'21"N 143°7'16"E. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.1 Detected by 21 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.068 . |
| Depth: | 15 km (9 mi) A very 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 104 kilometer (65 mi) east of Miyako.
Multiple large cities are in proximity of today's earthquake. Sendai is located 263 km to the southwest. Morioka is located 169 km to the west. Hachinohe is located 155 km to the northwest.
An overview of nearby towns and cities is available in the overview below.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 104 km (65 mi) W from epicenter |
Miyako Iwate, Japan. |
| 109 km (68 mi) SW from epicenter |
Yamada Iwate, Japan. |
| 125 km (78 mi) SW from epicenter |
Kamaishi Iwate, Japan. |
| 149 km (93 mi) SW from epicenter |
Tōno Iwate, Japan. |
| 149 km (93 mi) SW from epicenter |
Ōfunato Iwate, Japan. |
| 155 km (96 mi) NW from epicenter |
Hachinohe Aomori, Japan. |
| 169 km (105 mi) W from epicenter |
Morioka Iwate, Japan. |
| 174 km (108 mi) NW from epicenter |
Misawa Aomori, Japan. |
| 180 km (112 mi) W from epicenter |
Hanamaki Iwate, Japan. |
| 183 km (114 mi) W from epicenter |
Kitakami Iwate, Japan. |
| 183 km (114 mi) W from epicenter |
Shizukuishi Iwate, Japan. |
| 187 km (116 mi) SW from epicenter |
Kanegasaki Iwate, Japan. |
| 189 km (117 mi) SW from epicenter |
Mizusawa Iwate, Japan. |
| 200 km (124 mi) SW from epicenter |
Ichinoseki Iwate, Japan. |
| 202 km (126 mi) W from epicenter |
Hanawa Akita, Japan. |
| 223 km (139 mi) W from epicenter |
Ōdate Akita, Japan. |
| 224 km (139 mi) SW from epicenter |
Ishinomaki Miyagi, Japan. |
| 225 km (140 mi) SW from epicenter |
Wakuya Miyagi, Japan. |
| 226 km (140 mi) NW from epicenter |
Mutsu Aomori, Japan. |
| 228 km (142 mi) W from epicenter |
Yokote Akita, Japan. |
| 229 km (142 mi) SW from epicenter |
Yamoto Miyagi, Japan. |
| 229 km (142 mi) NW from epicenter |
Aomori Aomori, Japan. |
| 230 km (143 mi) SW from epicenter |
Kogota Miyagi, Japan. |
| 230 km (143 mi) W from epicenter |
Ōmagari Akita, Japan. |
| 233 km (145 mi) W from epicenter |
Kuroishi Aomori, Japan. |
| 235 km (146 mi) SW from epicenter |
Furukawa Miyagi, Japan. |
| 235 km (146 mi) NW from epicenter |
Namioka Aomori, Japan. |
| 238 km (148 mi) W from epicenter |
Takanosu Akita, Japan. |
| 238 km (148 mi) W from epicenter |
Yuzawa Akita, Japan. |
| 239 km (149 mi) W from epicenter |
Hirosaki Aomori, Japan. |
| 249 km (155 mi) SW from epicenter |
Shiogama Miyagi, Japan. |
| 250 km (155 mi) NW from epicenter |
Goshogawara Aomori, Japan. |
| 251 km (156 mi) SW from epicenter |
Rifu Miyagi, Japan. |
| 252 km (157 mi) SW from epicenter |
Tomiya Miyagi, Japan. |
| 256 km (159 mi) NW from epicenter |
Shimokizukuri Aomori, Japan. |
| 257 km (160 mi) W from epicenter |
Akita Akita, Japan. |
| 263 km (163 mi) SW from epicenter |
Sendai Miyagi, Japan. |
| 266 km (165 mi) W from epicenter |
Noshiro Akita, Japan. |
| 269 km (167 mi) W from epicenter |
Tennō Akita, Japan. |
| 272 km (169 mi) SW from epicenter |
Shinjō Yamagata, Japan. |
| 276 km (171 mi) SW from epicenter |
Iwanuma Miyagi, Japan. |
| 282 km (175 mi) SW from epicenter |
Watari Miyagi, Japan. |
| 283 km (176 mi) SW from epicenter |
Higashine Yamagata, Japan. |
| 288 km (179 mi) SW from epicenter |
Ōkawara Miyagi, Japan. |
| 290 km (180 mi) SW from epicenter |
Tendō Yamagata, Japan. |
| 292 km (181 mi) SW from epicenter |
Kakuda Miyagi, Japan. |
| 293 km (182 mi) NW from epicenter |
Hakodate Hokkaido, Japan. |
| 296 km (184 mi) SW from epicenter |
Sagae Yamagata, Japan. |
| 299 km (186 mi) W from epicenter |
Sakata Yamagata, Japan. |
| 299 km (186 mi) SW from epicenter |
Shiroishi Miyagi, Japan. |
| 299 km (186 mi) SW from epicenter |
Yamagata Yamagata, 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
After this earthquake struck, 1 smaller aftershock occurred. At a distance of 32 km (20 mi) northwest of this earthquake, an aftershock struck 1 day later. It measured a magnitude of 4.5
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 (14 mi) SE from Main Shock. |
| Main Shock This Earthquake |
M 5.1 |
Oct 2, 2026 02:17 (Tokyo Time) | - |
| Aftershock | M 4.5 |
1 day later Oct 3, 2026 05:34 (Tokyo Time) | 32 km (20 mi) NW 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.
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 196 km (122 mi) further south. An even stronger magnitude 7.6 earthquake struck on December 8th, 2025.
In total, 160 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 15 km (9 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami. |
Sources
Last updated 21/10/26 18:58 (). 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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