M4.8 Earthquake 6 km NNE of Honch?, Japan — March 10, 2023
2023-03-10 20:12:39 UTC (2023-03-10) · approx. 6:12 AM UTC+10 local
Felt by 3 people across nearby locations. Aftershock of the M6.0 mainshock.
On March 10, 2023 at 20:12 UTC, a magnitude 4.8 shallow crustal earthquake struck 6 km NNE of Honch?, Japan, at a depth of 58.3 km and coordinates 42.1820°, 142.9465°. This earthquake was detected by 149 seismic stations with excellent location accuracy and was assigned a USGS significance rating of 355, placing it among routine seismic activity.
Physical scale: An earthquake of magnitude 4.8 releases seismic energy equivalent to roughly 239 metric tons of TNT. Empirical fault-scaling laws (Wells & Coppersmith, 1994) estimate the subsurface rupture length at approximately 1.2 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 6.0 mainshock that occurred 9 days ago 32 km SSW of Honchō, Japan. Since the mainshock, the USGS has recorded 0 aftershocks in this area. Aftershock activity is expected to continue for weeks to months 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
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.
Source: U.S. Geological Survey Did You Feel It?. View on USGS · submit your own report
Earthquake Details
142.9465°E
Technical Information
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Common Questions
How strong was the magnitude 4.8 earthquake near Honch?, Japan?
The magnitude 4.8 earthquake that struck 6 km NNE of Honch?, Japan on March 10, 2023 at 20:12 UTC had a depth of 58.3 km. For context, this was a light earthquake commonly felt near the epicenter.
Where did the earthquake occur?
The earthquake epicenter was located at 42.1820°, 142.9465°, which is 6 km NNE of Honch?, Japan. View all earthquakes in Japan.
Were there aftershocks?
Aftershock activity is monitored continuously by the USGS. Aftershock sequences from magnitude 4.8 earthquakes can continue for several days and gradually diminish over time.
Is this the same earthquake as the M6.0 one earlier?
No. This magnitude 4.8 earthquake is an aftershock of the larger magnitude 6.0 mainshock that occurred earlier 32 km SSW of Honchō, Japan. Aftershocks are smaller earthquakes triggered by stress changes from the mainshock.
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 4.8 event is significantly smaller than that historical record.
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Location
Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: us7000jiya). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.
Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2023, March 10, 2023). M4.8 Earthquake 6 km NNE of Honch?, Japan — March 10, 2023. Retrieved May 15, 2023 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us7000jiya/