Reviewed by USGSJapan66y ago
M7.2 earthquake 93 km ENE of Hasaki, Japan
Monday, January 16, 1961, 07:20:13 UTC · 36.121°N, 141.758°E
A magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck 93 km ENE of Hasaki, Japan on Monday, January 16, 1961, 07:20:13 UTC, at a depth of 30.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M7.9 on November 25, 1953.
- Magnitude
- 7.2
- Major · mw
- Depth
- 30 km
- Shallow
- 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 earthquakeDashed circle: 200 km aftershock search areaColoured lines: estimated shaking intensity (USGS ShakeMap)
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
951 kilotons of TNT
That is about 63 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 1,995 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
75 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Pacific and Okhotsk plates. Earthquakes cluster along boundaries like this one, where plates collide, pull apart or slide past each other.
Depth: shallow
30 km
Shallow earthquakes (under 70 km) produce the strongest surface shaking for their size, so they are the ones most likely to cause damage near the epicenter.
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 lists 4 M2.5+ earthquakes within 200 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M7.0 on January 16, 1961. Most nearby activity right after a large earthquake is aftershocks, which usually become less frequent over days and weeks.
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 288 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 8.05 km SSE of Ōiso, JapanSeptember 1, 1923 · 237 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.9174 km SE of Katsuura, JapanNovember 25, 1953 · 235 km S of this epicenter
- 7.85 km E of Tateyama, JapanSeptember 2, 1923 · 208 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.8105 km E of Iwaki, JapanNovember 5, 1938 · 98 km N of this epicenter
- 7.7116 km E of Namie, JapanNovember 6, 1938 · 148 km N of this epicenter
- 7.769 km ESE of Kitaibaraki, JapanMay 23, 1938 · 53 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.7116 km ESE of Namie, JapanNovember 5, 1938 · 122 km N of this epicenter
- 7.6141 km ESE of Namie, JapanNovember 6, 1938 · 118 km NE of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 47 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 119,269 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1923M7.9
Tokyo, Yokohama
1 Sep 1923 · 234 km away
105,385 deaths$600 million damagetsunami
- 1855M7.0
Tokyo
11 Nov 1855 · 184 km away
6,757 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)tsunami
- 1703M8.2
Off Sw Boso Peninsula
30 Dec 1703 · 202 km away
5,233 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)tsunami
- 1828
Sandyo In Etigo
18 Dec 1828 · 253 km away
1,443 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)tsunami
- 1930M7.1
Honshu: Idu
25 Nov 1930 · 279 km away
259 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)
- 1853
Odawara
11 Mar 1853 · 215 km away
79 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.