M6.3 Earthquake in the Bonin Islands, Japan region — January 16, 2023
2023-01-16 04:49:51 UTC (2023-01-16) · approx. 1:49 PM UTC+9 local
Felt by 13 people across nearby locations.
On January 16, 2023 at 04:49 UTC, a magnitude 6.3 deep-focus earthquake struck in the Bonin Islands, Japan region, at a depth of 405.0 km and coordinates 28.9804°, 139.3452°. The earthquake was reported felt by 13 peopleacross nearby locations, with a maximum shaking intensity of Modified Mercalli Intensity (MMI) 2.8 (weak). The USGS PAGER system issued a green alert level for this event, indicating no significant casualties or damage expected. This earthquake was detected by 345 seismic stations with excellent location accuracy and was assigned a USGS significance rating of 614, making it a moderate-impact event.
Physical scale: An earthquake of magnitude 6.3 releases seismic energy equivalent to roughly 43 kilotons of TNT. Empirical fault-scaling laws (Wells & Coppersmith, 1994) estimate the subsurface rupture length at approximately 13 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
ShakeMap — predicted shaking intensity
Modeled ground-motion intensity contoured on the Modified Mercalli scale (MMI). Computed by the USGS from the moment-tensor solution and regional ground-motion prediction equations.
Source: U.S. Geological Survey ShakeMap. View interactive ShakeMap on USGS
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.
Source: U.S. Geological Survey Did You Feel It?. View on USGS · submit your own report
Population exposure (USGS PAGER)
Estimated population that experienced each level of shaking. Based on the USGS PAGER rapid impact assessment, which combines ShakeMap output with global population grids.
| Shaking intensity (MMI) | Description | Population exposed |
|---|---|---|
| MMI 3 | weak | 4 |
Earthquake Details
139.3452°E
Technical Information
Common Questions
How strong was the magnitude 6.3 earthquake in the Bonin Islands, Japan region?
The magnitude 6.3 earthquake that struck in the Bonin Islands, Japan region on January 16, 2023 at 04:49 UTC had a depth of 405.0 km. It was felt by 13 people with maximum shaking intensity of MMI 2.8 (weak). For context, this was a strong earthquake capable of causing significant damage.
Where did the earthquake occur?
The earthquake epicenter was located at 28.9804°, 139.3452°, which is in the Bonin Islands, Japan region. View all earthquakes in Japan.
Were there aftershocks?
Aftershock activity is monitored continuously by the USGS. Aftershock sequences from magnitude 6.3 earthquakes can continue for weeks to months 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 6.3 event is significantly smaller than that historical record.
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Location
Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: us7000j4mj). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.
Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2023, January 16, 2023). M6.3 Earthquake in the Bonin Islands, Japan region — January 16, 2023. Retrieved March 31, 2023 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us7000j4mj/