5.4

M5.4 Earthquake in the Volcano Islands, Japan region — April 18, 2024

2024-04-18 09:29:11 UTC (2024-04-18) · approx. 7:29 PM UTC+10 local

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MagnitudeM5.4(mww)
Time09:29 UTC≈ 7:29 PM UTC+10
Depth62.0 kmshallow crustal
Coordinates22.744°, 143.327°
Felt byNo felt reports
Status✓ Reviewed by USGS· green PAGER
green Alert— no significant casualties or damage expected

On April 18, 2024 at 09:29 UTC, a magnitude 5.4 shallow crustal earthquake struck in the Volcano Islands, Japan region, at a depth of 62.0 km and coordinates 22.7438°, 143.3267°. The USGS PAGER system issued a green alert level for this event, indicating no significant casualties or damage expected. This earthquake was detected by 126 seismic stations with excellent location accuracy and was assigned a USGS significance rating of 449, placing it among routine seismic activity.

Physical scale: An earthquake of magnitude 5.4 releases seismic energy equivalent to roughly 2 kilotons of TNT. Empirical fault-scaling laws (Wells & Coppersmith, 1994) estimate the subsurface rupture length at approximately 3.2 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

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Map showing earthquake epicenter at 22.74°, 143.33°

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.

USGS ShakeMap intensity contours for the M5.4 earthquake near Volcano Islands, Japan region

Source: U.S. Geological Survey ShakeMap. View interactive ShakeMap on USGS

Earthquake Details

Magnitude
5.4 mww
Depth
62.0 km
shallow crustal
Location
22.7438°N
143.3267°E
Intensity (MMI)
0.0
weak

Technical Information

Event ID
us7000mcul
Event Type
earthquake
Status
✓ Reviewed
Significance
449
Stations Used
126
Azimuthal Gap
53.0°
Min Station Distance
4.455°
RMS Residual
0.93 sec
Last Updated
2024-06-25 21:02:59 UTC

Common Questions

How strong was the magnitude 5.4 earthquake in the Volcano Islands, Japan region?

The magnitude 5.4 earthquake that struck in the Volcano Islands, Japan region on April 18, 2024 at 09:29 UTC had a depth of 62.0 km. For context, this was a moderate earthquake that could be widely felt.

Where did the earthquake occur?

The earthquake epicenter was located at 22.7438°, 143.3267°, which is in the Volcano Islands, Japan region. View all earthquakes in Japan.

Were there aftershocks?

Aftershock activity is monitored continuously by the USGS. Aftershock sequences from magnitude 5.4 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 5.4 event is significantly smaller than that historical record.

Actions

View on USGSDid You Feel It?

Location

Japan
View all Japan earthquakes

Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: us7000mcul). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.

Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2024, April 18, 2024). M5.4 Earthquake in the Volcano Islands, Japan region — April 18, 2024. Retrieved June 25, 2024 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us7000mcul/