M5.0 Earthquake northwest of the Ryukyu Islands, Japan — February 25, 2023
2023-02-25 10:25:44 UTC (2023-02-25) · approx. 6:25 PM UTC+8 local
Felt by 1 person across nearby locations.
On February 25, 2023 at 10:25 UTC, a magnitude 5.0 shallow crustal earthquake struck northwest of the Ryukyu Islands, Japan, at a depth of 10.0 km and coordinates 27.1053°, 126.7351°. This earthquake was detected by 90 seismic stations with excellent location accuracy and was assigned a USGS significance rating of 385, placing it among routine seismic activity.
Physical scale: An earthquake of magnitude 5.0 releases seismic energy equivalent to roughly 477 metric tons of TNT. Empirical fault-scaling laws (Wells & Coppersmith, 1994) estimate the subsurface rupture length at approximately 1.7 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 1 citizen response 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
126.7351°E
Technical Information
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Common Questions
How strong was the magnitude 5.0 earthquake northwest of the Ryukyu Islands, Japan?
The magnitude 5.0 earthquake that struck northwest of the Ryukyu Islands, Japan on February 25, 2023 at 10:25 UTC had a depth of 10.0 km. For context, this was a moderate earthquake that could be widely felt.
Where did the earthquake occur?
The earthquake epicenter was located at 27.1053°, 126.7351°, which is northwest of the Ryukyu Islands, Japan. View all earthquakes in Japan.
Were there aftershocks?
Aftershock activity is monitored continuously by the USGS. Aftershock sequences from magnitude 5.0 earthquakes can continue for days to weeks 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 5.0 event is significantly smaller than that historical record.
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Location
Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: us6000jrix). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.
Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2023, February 25, 2023). M5.0 Earthquake northwest of the Ryukyu Islands, Japan — February 25, 2023. Retrieved April 29, 2023 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us6000jrix/