5.3

M5.3 Earthquake 69 km S of Nemuro, JapanJuly 21, 2024

2024-07-21 04:27:27 UTC (2024-07-21) · approx. 2:27 PM UTC+10 local

Felt by 1 person across nearby locations.

MagnitudeM5.3(mww)
Time04:27 UTC2:27 PM UTC+10
Depth19.5 kmshallow crustal
Coordinates42.700°, 145.577°
Felt by1DYFI response
Status✓ Reviewed by USGS

On July 21, 2024 at 04:27 UTC, a magnitude 5.3 shallow crustal earthquake struck 69 km S of Nemuro, Japan, at a depth of 19.5 km and coordinates 42.7004°, 145.5767°. This earthquake was detected by 131 seismic stations with good location accuracy and was assigned a USGS significance rating of 432, placing it among routine seismic activity.

Physical scale: An earthquake of magnitude 5.3 releases seismic energy equivalent to roughly 1 kilotons of TNT. Empirical fault-scaling laws (Wells & Coppersmith, 1994) estimate the subsurface rupture length at approximately 2.7 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 42.70°, 145.58°

Did You Feel It? — community-reported shaking

Aggregated felt-report intensity from 1 citizen response 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 M5.3 earthquake near 69 km S of Nemuro, Japan

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

Earthquake Details

Magnitude
5.3 mww
Depth
19.5 km
shallow crustal
Location
42.7004°N
145.5767°E
Felt Reports
1
DYFI responses
Community Intensity
2.0
CDI from reports

Technical Information

Event ID
us7000n0lj
Event Type
earthquake
Status
✓ Reviewed
Significance
432
Stations Used
131
Azimuthal Gap
115.0°
Min Station Distance
1.920°
RMS Residual
0.71 sec
Last Updated
2024-09-28 22:42:51 UTC

Common Questions

How strong was the magnitude 5.3 earthquake near Nemuro, Japan?

The magnitude 5.3 earthquake that struck 69 km S of Nemuro, Japan on July 21, 2024 at 04:27 UTC had a depth of 19.5 km. For context, this was a moderate earthquake that could be widely felt.

Where did the earthquake occur?

The earthquake epicenter was located at 42.7004°, 145.5767°, which is 69 km S of Nemuro, Japan. View all earthquakes in Japan.

Were there aftershocks?

Aftershock activity is monitored continuously by the USGS. Aftershock sequences from magnitude 5.3 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 5.3 event is significantly smaller than that historical record.

Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: us7000n0lj). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.

Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2024, July 21, 2024). M5.3 Earthquake 69 km S of Nemuro, JapanJuly 21, 2024. Retrieved September 28, 2024 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us7000n0lj/