M5.0 Earthquake 2 km WNW of Uto, Japan — July 30, 2026

On July 30, 2026 at 13:47 UTC, a magnitude 5.0 shallow crustal earthquake struck 2 km WNW of Uto, Japan, at a depth of 10.0 km and coordinates 32.6877°, 130.6420°. This earthquake was detected by 50 seismic stations with good 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.

This earthquake is part of an ongoing aftershock sequence following the magnitude 5.4 mainshock that occurred 1 day ago 11 km N of Tsunagi, Japan. Since the mainshock, the USGS has recorded 4 aftershocks in this area. Aftershock activity is expected to continue for days to weeks as stresses on surrounding faults redistribute.

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