M4.4 Earthquake 7 km SSE of ?tsuki, Japan — December 2, 2021
2021-12-02 21:37:48 UTC (2021-12-02) · approx. 6:37 AM UTC+9 local
Felt by 221 people across surrounding communities.
On December 2, 2021 at 21:37 UTC, a magnitude 4.4 shallow crustal earthquake struck 7 km SSE of ?tsuki, Japan, at a depth of 26.7 km and coordinates 35.5570°, 139.0179°.
Physical scale: An earthquake of magnitude 4.4 releases seismic energy equivalent to roughly 60 metric tons of TNT. Empirical fault-scaling laws (Wells & Coppersmith, 1994) estimate the subsurface rupture length at approximately 655 m — 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 221 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
139.0179°E
Technical Information
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Common Questions
How strong was the magnitude 4.4 earthquake near ?tsuki, Japan?
The magnitude 4.4 earthquake that struck 7 km SSE of ?tsuki, Japan on December 2, 2021 at 21:37 UTC had a depth of 26.7 km. For context, this was a light earthquake commonly felt near the epicenter.
Where did the earthquake occur?
The earthquake epicenter was located at 35.5570°, 139.0179°, which is 7 km SSE of ?tsuki, Japan. View all earthquakes in Japan.
Were there aftershocks?
Aftershock activity is monitored continuously by the USGS. Aftershock sequences from magnitude 4.4 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 4.4 event is significantly smaller than that historical record.
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Location
Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: us6000g8k3). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.
Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2021, December 2, 2021). M4.4 Earthquake 7 km SSE of ?tsuki, Japan — December 2, 2021. Retrieved February 5, 2022 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us6000g8k3/