M5.0 Earthquake 136 km E of Yamada, Japan — February 24, 2024

On February 24, 2024 at 10:17 UTC, a magnitude 5.0 shallow crustal earthquake struck 136 km E of Yamada, Japan, at a depth of 10.0 km and coordinates 39.5694°, 143.5279°. This earthquake was detected by 84 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.

This earthquake is part of an ongoing aftershock sequence following the magnitude 5.4 mainshock that occurred 2 days ago 145 km E of Yamada, Japan. Since the mainshock, the USGS has recorded 1 aftershocks in this area. Aftershock activity is expected to continue for days to weeks 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