M4.6 Earthquake 47 km ENE of Noda, Japan — July 15, 2026

On July 15, 2026 at 12:29 UTC, a magnitude 4.6 shallow crustal earthquake struck 47 km ENE of Noda, Japan, at a depth of 63.3 km and coordinates 40.3221°, 142.3054°. This earthquake was detected by 50 seismic stations with good location accuracy and was assigned a USGS significance rating of 326, placing it among routine seismic activity.

Physical scale: An earthquake of magnitude 4.6 releases seismic energy equivalent to roughly 120 metric tons of TNT. Empirical fault-scaling laws (Wells & Coppersmith, 1994) estimate the subsurface rupture length at approximately 899 m — 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 14 days ago 49 km E of Noda, Japan. Since the mainshock, the USGS has recorded 7 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