M4.9 Earthquake 29 km SSE of Saiki, Japan — January 21, 2022
2022-01-21 20:31:51 UTC (2022-01-21) · approx. 5:31 AM UTC+9 local
Felt by 2 people across nearby locations.
On January 21, 2022 at 20:31 UTC, a magnitude 4.9 shallow crustal earthquake struck 29 km SSE of Saiki, Japan, at a depth of 44.8 km and coordinates 32.7042°, 132.0314°.
Physical scale: An earthquake of magnitude 4.9 releases seismic energy equivalent to roughly 338 metric tons of TNT. Empirical fault-scaling laws (Wells & Coppersmith, 1994) estimate the subsurface rupture length at approximately 1.4 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
132.0314°E
Technical Information
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Common Questions
How strong was the magnitude 4.9 earthquake near Saiki, Japan?
The magnitude 4.9 earthquake that struck 29 km SSE of Saiki, Japan on January 21, 2022 at 20:31 UTC had a depth of 44.8 km. For context, this was a light earthquake commonly felt near the epicenter.
Where did the earthquake occur?
The earthquake epicenter was located at 32.7042°, 132.0314°, which is 29 km SSE of Saiki, Japan. View all earthquakes in Japan.
Were there aftershocks?
Aftershock activity is monitored continuously by the USGS. Aftershock sequences from magnitude 4.9 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 4.9 event is significantly smaller than that historical record.
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Location
Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: us7000ge07). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.
Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2022, January 21, 2022). M4.9 Earthquake 29 km SSE of Saiki, Japan — January 21, 2022. Retrieved April 1, 2022 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us7000ge07/