M4.9 Earthquake 78 km ESE of Hitachi, Japan — November 10, 2026

On November 10, 2026 at 05:20 UTC, a magnitude 4.9 shallow crustal earthquake struck 78 km ESE of Hitachi, Japan, at a depth of 35.0 km and coordinates 36.3338°, 141.4659°. This earthquake was detected by 50 seismic stations with good location accuracy and was assigned a USGS significance rating of 369, placing it among routine seismic activity.

Physical scale: An earthquake of magnitude 4.9 releases seismic energy equivalent to roughly 338 metric tons of TNT. Empirical fault-scaling laws (Wells & Coppersmith, 1994) estimate the subsurface rupture length at approximately 1.4 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 5.7 mainshock that occurred 1 day ago 106 km ENE of Hasaki, Japan. Since the mainshock, the USGS has recorded 0 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