5.0

M5.0 Earthquake 113 km E of Hachinohe, JapanSeptember 26, 2022

2022-09-26 16:05:23 UTC (2022-09-26) · approx. 2:05 AM UTC+10 local

Felt by 3 people across nearby locations.

MagnitudeM5.0(mww)
Time16:05 UTC2:05 AM UTC+10
Depth35.0 kmshallow crustal
Coordinates40.590°, 142.836°
Felt by3DYFI responses
Status✓ Reviewed by USGS

On September 26, 2022 at 16:05 UTC, a magnitude 5.0 shallow crustal earthquake struck 113 km E of Hachinohe, Japan, at a depth of 35.0 km and coordinates 40.5895°, 142.8356°. This earthquake was detected by 82 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.

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 40.59°, 142.84°

Did You Feel It? — community-reported shaking

Aggregated felt-report intensity from 3 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 M5.0 earthquake near 113 km E of Hachinohe, Japan

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

Earthquake Details

Magnitude
5.0 mww
Depth
35.0 km
shallow crustal
Location
40.5895°N
142.8356°E
Felt Reports
3
DYFI responses
Community Intensity
2.2
CDI from reports

Technical Information

Event ID
us7000ib5i
Event Type
earthquake
Status
✓ Reviewed
Significance
385
Stations Used
82
Azimuthal Gap
98.0°
Min Station Distance
1.361°
RMS Residual
0.55 sec
Last Updated
2022-12-03 22:03:26 UTC

Common Questions

How strong was the magnitude 5.0 earthquake near Hachinohe, Japan?

The magnitude 5.0 earthquake that struck 113 km E of Hachinohe, Japan on September 26, 2022 at 16:05 UTC had a depth of 35.0 km. For context, this was a moderate earthquake that could be widely felt.

Where did the earthquake occur?

The earthquake epicenter was located at 40.5895°, 142.8356°, which is 113 km E of Hachinohe, 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.

Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: us7000ib5i). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.

Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2022, September 26, 2022). M5.0 Earthquake 113 km E of Hachinohe, JapanSeptember 26, 2022. Retrieved December 3, 2022 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us7000ib5i/