M4.8 Earthquake near near the east coast of Honshu, Japan — October 17, 2021
2021-10-17 15:49:31 UTC (2021-10-17) · approx. 12:49 AM UTC+9 local
Felt by 2 people across nearby locations.
On October 17, 2021 at 15:49 UTC, a magnitude 4.8 shallow crustal earthquake struck near near the east coast of Honshu, Japan, at a depth of 67.9 km and coordinates 40.9682°, 142.1452°.
Physical scale: An earthquake of magnitude 4.8 releases seismic energy equivalent to roughly 239 metric tons of TNT. Empirical fault-scaling laws (Wells & Coppersmith, 1994) estimate the subsurface rupture length at approximately 1.2 km — a useful intuition for the size of the slip patch on the fault.
The epicenter is located in Japan, a region characterized by the intersection of four tectonic plates — Pacific, Philippine Sea, Eurasian, and North American — creating multiple subduction zones. The nearest mapped fault system is the Japan Trench. View all earthquakes in Japan.
Learn more: Magnitude scale · Aftershock sequences
Did You Feel It? — community-reported shaking
Aggregated felt-report intensity from 2 citizen responses to the USGS Did You Feel It? system. Each colored zone represents the average MMI from reports in that area.
Source: U.S. Geological Survey Did You Feel It?. View on USGS · submit your own report
Earthquake Details
142.1452°E
Technical Information
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Common Questions
How strong was the magnitude 4.8 earthquake near near the east coast of Honshu, Japan?
The magnitude 4.8 earthquake that struck near near the east coast of Honshu, Japan on October 17, 2021 at 15:49 UTC had a depth of 67.9 km. For context, this was a light earthquake commonly felt near the epicenter.
Where did the earthquake occur?
The earthquake epicenter was located at 40.9682°, 142.1452°, which is near near the east coast of Honshu, Japan. View all earthquakes in Japan.
Were there aftershocks?
Aftershock activity is monitored continuously by the USGS. Aftershock sequences from magnitude 4.8 earthquakes can continue for several days and gradually diminish over time.
Has Japan had earthquakes this big before?
The largest recorded earthquake in Japan was the M9.1 Tohoku earthquake of March 11, 2011. Today's magnitude 4.8 event is significantly smaller than that historical record.
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Location
Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: us6000fvg0). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.
Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2021, October 17, 2021). M4.8 Earthquake near near the east coast of Honshu, Japan — October 17, 2021. Retrieved December 25, 2021 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us6000fvg0/