Reviewed by USGSJapan122y ago
M7.4 earthquake 50 km SSW of Ōyama, Japan
Sunday, January 21, 1906, 13:49:33 UTC · 34.175°N, 138.025°E
A magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck 50 km SSW of Ōyama, Japan on Sunday, January 21, 1906, 13:49:33 UTC, at a depth of 300.0 km (deep). No earthquake of this size or larger appears within 300 km in the USGS catalog since 1900.
- Magnitude
- 7.4
- Major · mw
- Depth
- 300 km
- Deep
- Felt reports
- 0
- Did You Feel It?
- Est. shaking
- V
- Moderate (ShakeMap)
- PAGER alert
- None
- Not issued
- Tsunami
- No flag
- USGS feed
Outlined circle: this earthquakeColoured lines: estimated shaking intensity (USGS ShakeMap)
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
1.9 megatons of TNT
That is about 126 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 3,981 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
33 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Amur and Philippine Sea plates. Earthquakes cluster along boundaries like this one, where plates collide, pull apart or slide past each other.
Depth: deep
300 km
Deep earthquakes (over 300 km) happen deep inside subducting plates. They rarely cause damage, but can be felt faintly over very large distances.
Did You Feel It?
Where it was felt
No “Did You Feel It?” reports have been published for this event yet. If you felt it, you can add your report on the USGS website.
I felt it — report to USGS ↗USGS PAGER estimate
Who was exposed to shaking
USGS publishes PAGER impact estimates for significant earthquakes, usually within an hour. No PAGER estimate is available for this event.
After the main event
Aftershocks within 200 km
USGS has not published any M2.5+ earthquake within 200 km in the 30 days after this event.
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 1 M5.0+ earthquake within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 24 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 24,257 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1891M8.4
Mino-Owari
27 Oct 1891 · 175 km away
7,273 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)
- 1855M7.0
Tokyo
11 Nov 1855 · 230 km away
6,757 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)tsunami
- 1703M8.2
Off Sw Boso Peninsula
30 Dec 1703 · 203 km away
5,233 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)tsunami
- 1707M8.4
Enshunada
28 Oct 1707 · 22 km away
2,000 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1854
Iga, Ise, Yamato
9 Jul 1854 · 207 km away
1,352 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1854M8.3
Enshunada Sea
23 Dec 1854 · 23 km away
1,000 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.