In the North Pacific Ocean 91 kilometer from Hachinohe, Japan, a significant Magnitude 5.1 earthquake occurred in the night of Saturday October 24th, 2026.
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Earthquake Summary
This earthquake hit under water in the North Pacific Ocean, 84 kilometers (52 mi) off the coast of Japan, 91 kilometer east of Hachinohe in Aomori. The center of this earthquake had a quite shallow depth of 38 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.
| Date and Time: | Oct 24, 2026 01:07 (Tokyo Time) - Oct 23, 2026 16:07 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 91 km east of Hachinohe, Aomori, Japan. Coordinates 40°24'57"N 142°34'19"E. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.1 Detected by 176 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.043 . |
| Depth: | 38 km (24 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 . Hachinohe in Aomori, Japan is the nearest significant place from the epicenter. The earthquake occurred 91 kilometer (57 mi) east of Hachinohe.
Multiple major population centers exist within 300km of the earthquake that struck today. Sendai is located 280 km to the southwest. Hachinohe is located 91 km to the west. Morioka is located 145 km to the southwest.
The table below provides an overview of all places in proximity of today's earthquake.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 91 km (57 mi) W from epicenter |
Hachinohe Aomori, Japan. |
| 101 km (63 mi) SW from epicenter |
Miyako Iwate, Japan. |
| 104 km (65 mi) W from epicenter |
Misawa Aomori, Japan. |
| 118 km (73 mi) SW from epicenter |
Yamada Iwate, Japan. |
| 140 km (87 mi) SW from epicenter |
Kamaishi Iwate, Japan. |
| 145 km (90 mi) SW from epicenter |
Morioka Iwate, Japan. |
| 150 km (93 mi) NW from epicenter |
Mutsu Aomori, Japan. |
| 151 km (94 mi) SW from epicenter |
Tōno Iwate, Japan. |
| 154 km (96 mi) W from epicenter |
Hanawa Akita, Japan. |
| 157 km (98 mi) SW from epicenter |
Shizukuishi Iwate, Japan. |
| 161 km (100 mi) W from epicenter |
Aomori Aomori, Japan. |
| 166 km (103 mi) SW from epicenter |
Ōfunato Iwate, Japan. |
| 169 km (105 mi) SW from epicenter |
Hanamaki Iwate, Japan. |
| 170 km (106 mi) W from epicenter |
Kuroishi Aomori, Japan. |
| 171 km (106 mi) W from epicenter |
Namioka Aomori, Japan. |
| 171 km (106 mi) W from epicenter |
Ōdate Akita, Japan. |
| 177 km (110 mi) SW from epicenter |
Kitakami Iwate, Japan. |
| 179 km (111 mi) W from epicenter |
Hirosaki Aomori, Japan. |
| 184 km (114 mi) SW from epicenter |
Kanegasaki Iwate, Japan. |
| 185 km (115 mi) W from epicenter |
Goshogawara Aomori, Japan. |
| 188 km (117 mi) W from epicenter |
Takanosu Akita, Japan. |
| 188 km (117 mi) SW from epicenter |
Mizusawa Iwate, Japan. |
| 191 km (119 mi) W from epicenter |
Shimokizukuri Aomori, Japan. |
| 207 km (129 mi) SW from epicenter |
Ichinoseki Iwate, Japan. |
| 208 km (129 mi) SW from epicenter |
Ōmagari Akita, Japan. |
| 211 km (131 mi) SW from epicenter |
Yokote Akita, Japan. |
| 214 km (133 mi) N from epicenter |
Shizunai-furukawachō Hokkaido, Japan. |
| 216 km (134 mi) NW from epicenter |
Hakodate Hokkaido, Japan. |
| 217 km (135 mi) W from epicenter |
Noshiro Akita, Japan. |
| 223 km (139 mi) W from epicenter |
Akita Akita, Japan. |
| 225 km (140 mi) SW from epicenter |
Yuzawa Akita, Japan. |
| 225 km (140 mi) NW from epicenter |
Kamiiso Hokkaido, Japan. |
| 227 km (141 mi) NW from epicenter |
Honchō Hokkaido, Japan. |
| 248 km (154 mi) SW from epicenter |
Ishinomaki Miyagi, Japan. |
| 248 km (154 mi) SW from epicenter |
Furukawa Miyagi, Japan. |
| 249 km (155 mi) NW from epicenter |
Muroran Hokkaido, Japan. |
| 250 km (155 mi) SW from epicenter |
Yamoto Miyagi, Japan. |
| 260 km (162 mi) N from epicenter |
Tomakomai Hokkaido, Japan. |
| 268 km (167 mi) SW from epicenter |
Shiogama Miyagi, Japan. |
| 268 km (167 mi) SW from epicenter |
Tomiya Miyagi, Japan. |
| 268 km (167 mi) SW from epicenter |
Shinjō Yamagata, Japan. |
| 269 km (167 mi) SW from epicenter |
Rifu Miyagi, Japan. |
| 269 km (167 mi) NW from epicenter |
Date Hokkaido, Japan. |
| 278 km (173 mi) N from epicenter |
Chitose Hokkaido, Japan. |
| 280 km (174 mi) SW from epicenter |
Sendai Miyagi, Japan. |
| 283 km (176 mi) N from epicenter |
Obihiro Hokkaido, Japan. |
| 286 km (178 mi) SW from epicenter |
Sakata Yamagata, Japan. |
| 288 km (179 mi) SW from epicenter |
Higashine Yamagata, Japan. |
| 291 km (181 mi) N from epicenter |
Otofuke Hokkaido, Japan. |
| 297 km (185 mi) SW from epicenter |
Tendō Yamagata, Japan. |
| 297 km (185 mi) N from epicenter |
Kitahiroshima Hokkaido, Japan. |
Shaking reported by 2 people
People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 2 people have reported shaking in 2 places 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:
- Kitakami, Iwate, Japan: 1 person.
- Morioka, Iwate, 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.
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.
In only six percent of cases, significant earthquakes are followed by a larger main shock, making the current earthquake a foreshock. While the chance of this happening is not so large, it is adviced to maintain cautiousness in the hours and days following a major 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 26th, 2026, when a 5.6 magnitude earthquake hit 271 km (168 mi) further south-east. An even stronger magnitude 7.6 earthquake struck on December 8th, 2025.
In total, 149 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 24 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 38 km (24 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami. |
Sources
Last updated 24/10/26 02:48 (). 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 us6000u4e2
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20261023_0000286
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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