4.4

M4.4 Earthquake 6 km WSW of Funaishikawa, JapanSeptember 18, 2021

2021-09-18 23:07:51 UTC (2021-09-18) · approx. 8:07 AM UTC+9 local

Felt by 13 people across nearby locations.

MagnitudeM4.4(mb)
Time23:07 UTC8:07 AM UTC+9
Depth72.3 kmintermediate depth
Coordinates36.450°, 140.493°
Felt by13DYFI responses
Status✓ Reviewed by USGS

On September 18, 2021 at 23:07 UTC, a magnitude 4.4 intermediate depth earthquake struck 6 km WSW of Funaishikawa, Japan, at a depth of 72.3 km and coordinates 36.4505°, 140.4930°.

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

Map showing earthquake epicenter at 36.45°, 140.49°

Did You Feel It? — community-reported shaking

Aggregated felt-report intensity from 13 citizen responses to the USGS Did You Feel It? system. Each colored zone represents the average MMI from reports in that area.

USGS DYFI community-reported intensity map for the M4.4 earthquake near 6 km WSW of Funaishikawa, Japan

Source: U.S. Geological Survey Did You Feel It?. View on USGS · submit your own report

Earthquake Details

Magnitude
4.4 mb
Depth
72.3 km
intermediate depth
Location
36.4505°N
140.4930°E
Felt Reports
13
DYFI responses
Community Intensity
4.0
CDI from reports

Technical Information

Event ID
us7000fcip
Event Type
earthquake
Status
✓ Reviewed
Significance
303
Azimuthal Gap
145.0°
Min Station Distance
1.842°
RMS Residual
0.69 sec
Last Updated
2021-12-03 15:01:30 UTC

Common Questions

How strong was the magnitude 4.4 earthquake near Funaishikawa, Japan?

The magnitude 4.4 earthquake that struck 6 km WSW of Funaishikawa, Japan on September 18, 2021 at 23:07 UTC had a depth of 72.3 km. For context, this was a light earthquake commonly felt near the epicenter.

Where did the earthquake occur?

The earthquake epicenter was located at 36.4505°, 140.4930°, which is 6 km WSW of Funaishikawa, 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.

Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: us7000fcip). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.

Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2021, September 18, 2021). M4.4 Earthquake 6 km WSW of Funaishikawa, JapanSeptember 18, 2021. Retrieved December 3, 2021 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us7000fcip/